Voldemort's Legacy
by debjunk
Summary: Sequel to A Waste of Time. Severus and Lana Snape set out to Albania to help dig up an old castle. While there, Lana uncovers something that threatens to bring Voldemort back from the dead. Can Severus defeat Voldemort and save his wife?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Svetlana opened her eyes. Something had awakened her, but she didn't know what. She stared around the room. Everything seemed to be in place. Then she felt someone bump into her. She raised herself on one elbow and looked at her husband. Severus was having a nightmare. His head shot back and forth and he had a pained look on his face. Svetlana studied him with concern. These nightmares weren't unusual, but he hadn't had on in several months. Realization dawned on her. It had been two years since Voldemort had been defeated and killed. No wonder he was having a nightmare. She reached over and gently shook his shoulder.

"Severus, wake up. You're having a bad dream," she said softly.

He continued to writhe. She shook him a little harder and repeated herself a little louder. No change.

"Severus! Wake up!"

His eyes popped open, full of fear. He took a moment to recognize where he was, then threw his arms around Svetlana and buried his head in her shoulder.

"Shh, shh, it was just a dream," she comforted him.

"Lana, this one was different," he told her when he had caught his breath.

She continued to hold him tightly. "In what way?"

He pulled back and looked into her deep brown eyes searchingly. "It wasn't a rehashing of the past. It was now. Voldemort had somehow come back and he was after us. He…" He pulled her close to him and hugged her ferociously.

"He got me, huh?" she asked him.

"Yes."

Her arms went around him. "Severus, it was just a dream. There's no way Voldemort could return. Harry destroyed all of the Horcruxes. We are rid of him for good. The dream was probably so bad because it's the anniversary of his death."

He relaxed some, letting the dream dissipate along with the fear that went with it. "You're right of course, as usual." He smiled down at her and then glanced at the clock. "Well, I guess my timing is pretty good, it's time to get ready for classes."

She gave him a wet sloppy kiss on the mouth. "We'd better get going, then."

He pulled her back and kissed her again. "We've got a little time before breakfast, let's have some fun."

She smiled at him as she pulled the covers over their heads and settled back into the bed, kissing him.

* * *

A little later she was seated at breakfast. Severus was just giving some announcements, before settling in next to her. She looked at the food in front of them and her stomach turned. Nothing had seemed appetizing to her for the last few weeks. They never seemed to serve anything she wanted anymore. 

"Lana, you must eat. You're wasting away to nothing," Severus whispered to her.

"I'm not very hungry." She grabbed a piece of toast and took a small bite. Her stomach lurched. "Oh, I just remembered, I need to finish grading that stack of tests that I put off doing yesterday." She rose and gave him a peck on the cheek. Picking up the toast she said, "I'll see you at lunch."

"Wait," he demanded. She turned back to look at him. He reached out and pulled her to him and planted a kiss on her lips. "Have a nice day," he said in mock sternness.

She gave him a quick smile, turned, and left the hall. She tossed the toast into the nearest trash can and headed for the infirmary, her long dark hair whipping along behind her. When she got there, she found Madam Pomfrey bustling about, smoothing out the beds. There were no patients to be tended to.

"Good morning, Poppy. How are you today?" Lana asked.

Jumping up, Madam Pomfrey looked at Lana. "Oh, good morning, Lana, you gave me a fright! Is everything okay?"

Lana looked embarrassed. "Sorry to startle you, Poppy. I don't know that anything is wrong really. I've had little to no appetite for a few weeks now. Nothing seems to be appetizing anymore and when I do eat, sometimes it comes right back up."

"Have a seat on the bed." Poppy said motioning to the closest one. She pulled out her wand and did some diagnostics on Lana. "Have you had any other symptoms to speak of, Lana?"

"No, not really."

"Have you been tired lately?" Poppy asked.

"Now that you mention it, yes I have. I haven't been doing anything out of the ordinary either."

Madam Pomfrey grinned happily at her.

"I take it I'm not dying, then?" Lana asked her sagely.

"You'll live to see another day, Professor Snape. You're expecting."

"Expecting what?" Lana asked.

"A baby, Lana; you're going to have a baby!" Poppy chided.

Lana's hand flew to her mouth in shock. "You're kidding! Oh my gosh! That explains everything!" She gave Poppy a huge hug. "How far along am I?"

Poppy waved her wand around Lana some more. "You seem to be almost four months along now. I'm surprised you haven't been sicker. Usually expectant mothers are vomiting all the time. You should consider yourself lucky."

Lana looked at Poppy dreamily. "Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"Oh, can't tell that just yet. You need to come in to see me for a checkup once a month. I should be able to tell next month if you want to know." She gave Lana a smile. With a flick of her wand, she made a potion appear in her hands. "You need to take ½ teaspoon of this every morning. It will help with your appetite and give extra nutrients to the baby."

Lana took the bottle and rubbed her belly in amazement. She looked up and smiled at Madam Pomfrey. "Thanks Poppy! See you in a month!" With that she exited the infirmary and set out for her classroom to begin her day.

* * *

Lunchtime came and Lana was a little late in arriving. Severus gave her a sidelong glance as she sat herself next to him and grabbed a sandwich. 

"Been goofing off in your classroom, I take it?" he teased.

She gave him a reproachful look. "Some of us have students to teach, Headmaster," she retorted.

The sides of his mouth upturned in his signature "smile." More seriously, he said, "I'm glad to see you eating something finally."

She gave him a secretive smile. "I've never had a more delicious tasting sandwich."

He stared at her coolly, "What's up, Lana?" He could always read her like a book.

She arched an eyebrow at him. "I can't go into it now. I'll tell you tonight." She gave him another secret smile.

He returned her raised eyebrow with one of his own. "I can hardly wait."

* * *

She was at dinner before Severus was. He hurried up to join her. 

"Were you goofing off in your office again, Headmaster?" Lana asked Severus innocently.

He gave her a cross look. She bit her lip. "Not a great afternoon, I take it?"

"Three Hufflepuff boys were caught setting off fireworks in the hall outside of the potions room. They almost set the whole room on fire. One of the fireworks backfired on them and now Chase Connery is in the infirmary with burns over half of his body."

She looked at him in shock. "Was anyone else hurt?"

"Fortunately no," he grumbled. "However, Mister Connery will be recuperating for the next few days. I can't wait to explain this to his parents. They already think I'm incompetent."

"No one thinks you're incompetent, Severus."

"What do you know of it?" he snapped at her.

She gave him a stricken look. "Severus," she muttered, "just because you've had a bad day, doesn't mean you need to take it out on me. I didn't set those fireworks." A few tears streamed down her face.

He looked at her, shocked. She wasn't one to cry this easily, and she was used to his quick temper. Nonetheless, he had torn her head off for no reason. He looked duly chastised and apologized to her.

She wiped the tears from her face. "It's okay. I'm sure this afternoon has been tough for you."

"You know I'm a prat…all of the time," he quipped.

She laughed out loud. It had become a running joke between them and he always used it to get her laughing, especially when she was livid with him.

"When you're done eating, I have a surprise for you," she told him.

He gave her a quizzical look. "What kind of a surprise?"

She gave him an exasperated look. "For heaven's sake Severus, it wouldn't be a surprise if I up and told you right now would it?"

He dropped his fork and stood up. He offered her his arm. "Well, let's go then. You know I can't stand surprises."

She grinned happily and took his arm. They left the hall and proceeded to their apartment.

He seated himself on the couch and leveled a glance at her. "Let's not draw this out any longer than it has to be," he commented painfully.

She grinned conspiratorially. "I have a little present for you." She raised her wand and said, "Accio gift." A small package wrapped in shiny blue paper sped into her hands. She excitedly seated herself on the couch and handed the package to Severus. "Open it," she demanded.

He eyed her and took the package. He unwrapped the box and took the cover off of it. He stared at the contents for a good minute before raising it out of the box. It was a baby rattle. He glared at it and turned to her. "Really, Svetlana, I don't mind you referring to me as a prat all of the time, but if you're trying to imply that I'm a baby too, I'm not amused," he snapped.

Her face fell. She began to stammer. "That's…that's…I would never imply that Severus! That has nothing to do with this gift at all."

"Then what the devil is the meaning of…" he stopped in mid sentence. His eyes grew wide as he stared at the rattle. "Merlin's beard, are you going to have a…" He dropped the rattle and the box and threw his arms around her.

"Yes!" she squealed in delight, returning his embrace.

He pulled her away from him and looked from her face to her stomach and back to her face again. He gently took his hand and laid it on her abdomen. "You mean to tell me there's a baby growing in there?"

She nodded enthusiastically. Suddenly he looked terrified. "I'm going to be a father?" He blanched. "I don't know the first thing about being a father. I can't even be nice to teenagers, let alone a baby."

She grasped his hands in hers. "You'll be a wonderful father! It's different when it's your own kid." She looked at him tentatively. "Are you okay with all of this?"

He pulled her to him in another embrace. "Are you kidding? I'm ecstatic! This does make your eating behavior a little easier to understand." He suddenly got a concerned look on his face. "Is everything okay? Do you need anything? What can I do for you?"

She giggled at him. "Severus, I'm fine. Please don't faun all over me like that. Poppy gave me a potion to help my appetite. I'm just a little tired."

"Well, you should lie down. Come on, I'll get you comfortable." He gave her a stern look when she seemed about to reject his offer. "Don't argue with me, you need to rest. Having a baby is a big job."

She took his hand and got up. "Well, I guess a little nap wouldn't hurt." She flashed him a big smile and followed him into the bedroom.

* * *

_Hope you all like it so far. I'd love to have some suggestions on baby names. We won't find out if it's a girl or a boy until near the end of the story, but I'm at a loss as to what to call him/her._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Several weeks had flown by and it was almost the end of the school year. Lana was teaching and reviewing for the end of the year exams, when an owl flew in and landed on her desk with a large packet attached to its leg. She hurried over and released the owl from the package. She hunted in her desk for some owl treats and sent the bird on its way.

She flicked her wand at the board and told the class to translate the section of text that was being written on it. She then sat down and pondered the packet. She flipped it over and opened it up. There was a small portfolio. On top there was a letter of about two pages. She looked at the signature on the letter and her eyes grew wide. She had not heard from Claudio in over a year. She quickly turned to the beginning and read the entire letter, her eyes growing wide and her excitement mounting. She turned to the portfolio and spent the rest of the class time poring over it.

Later that night she and Severus were at the table in their apartment. She was grading papers and he was studying a potions book. She looked up at him tentatively. "Severus, do you remember my friend Claudio Torre?"

He glanced up at her. "Yes, have you heard from him?"

"I got an owl from him today."

"What is he up to? Has he found Atlantis or something?"

She smiled. "No. He has found an old castle in Albania though."

Severus looked up at her in interest. "I thought all the castles had been discovered in Albania already."

"So did he, until he found this one." She took a deep breath. "He wants me to join him on the dig."

Severus eyed her sharply. "Why does he need you to dig up an old castle?"

"Most of it is underground. He hopes to find books and writings there and thinks I would be invaluable in the translation process."

"Lana, you're four months pregnant. How can you go cavorting in an old damp castle while you're expecting."

She looked at him reproachfully. "Severus, I won't be cavorting anywhere. I probably don't even need to go near the castle, except for when they find written artifacts."

"Why can't he just send the things here for you to translate?"

"That would take forever. He needs someone onsite and I'm the best person for the job, pregnant or not."

He could sense the excitement in her voice. "You really want to do this, don't you?" he asked in defeat.

She nodded her head.

"When does he want you there?"

"He said to come as soon as the school term is over. He wants me to stay there for the entire summer."

Severus frowned. "You know I can't leave here for the entire summer, there's too much to prepare on either end of the terms for me to be able to go with you."

"I've already worked it all out." She gave him a quick smile. "I can come home every weekend. Claudio said in his letter that they will just be working during the week. Maybe you can come for a couple of weeks after you've gotten all of the school closing business taken care of?" She raised her eyebrows questioningly.

He gave her a stern stare. "I see that you have thought this all out. You probably think my objections are petty?"

She flinched inwardly. "No, of course I don't! I just don't want to miss out on something so exciting because I'm pregnant. Severus, you know I'll be careful!"

He puffed in exasperation. "And how do you expect me to survive for three months without you?"

She gave him a warm smile. "I'll miss you terribly too."

* * *

Two weeks later they stood outside the gates of Hogwarts, saying goodbye. Severus embraced her for a long time. Finally they broke apart and she looked at him sadly.

"I miss you already," she confessed.

"Don't go," he begged.

She gave him a little smile. "I'll be back next weekend, before you can even have a chance to miss me."

"That seems like forever. Be safe while you're traveling." He looked her over and then touched her growing abdomen lovingly. "Take care of junior." He smiled a little and then kissed her passionately. After a moment he stood back and rifled in his pocket. "I almost forgot; I got you a going away present."

She beamed as she took the box from him and opened it. Inside sat a small bird. It was about three inches long, dark blue and had a long bill. It was white on its underside. It looked up at her and gave her a small peep.

"Oh how cute!" she squealed. "What kind of bird is this?"

"It's a snipe," Severus told her.

She looked at him curiously. "I thought these were make-believe."

"Yes, many people do, but as you can see it's quite real. It gets its reputation because it is very elusive. It can apparate and disapparate at will. It can also travel great distances. This one was very hard to come by, however, I have convinced him to be our 'pet.' He can travel between us in a matter of moments. He's also willing to deliver letters and such between the two of us." He gave her a little smile.

She looked at the bird admiringly. "How does he understand us?"

"He's telepathic. He can also understand the spoken word, but he'll only speak to you through your mind."

She looked at the bird and thought a greeting to him. _Hello, little guy, what's your name?_

The bird looked at her and she felt the answer in her mind. _I am Knave. I will not always be so little._

She looked at Severus quizzically. "He said he wasn't always going to be so little."

"He's just a baby. He'll be about the size of a mallard when he's an adult."

She turned back to the bird. _I'm excited to see you grow. I am also happy that you are willing to help Severus and me keep in touch over the summer._

_I live to serve, _came the quipped reply.

She glanced up at Severus in amazement. "Severus, you found us a sarcastic bird. He fits right in doesn't he?"

Severus smiled down at her. "He's agreed to travel in the box right now, but you'll have to find him a proper cage when you get to Albania."

She covered the bird once again and placed the box into her backpack. She gave Severus another big hug and a kiss, then picked up her pack and prepared to go.

"I'll send Knave back when I arrive." She got a sad look in her eye. "I'll miss you desperately!"

"As will I," he responded softly.

With that she turned. There was a great pop and she was gone. Severus sighed and turned back to the castle. Almost everyone had already left. The few teachers who were still there would be apparating away for holiday within the next few hours. Only he and Filch and the house elves would be staying all summer. He actually had a lot to do in the next couple of weeks. He needed to make sure all grades were posted and ready for delivery. There was inventory of all supplies and inspection of classrooms. He certainly wouldn't be bored; lonely, but not bored. He was too wrapped up in missing Lana to start any of the mountains of work that awaited him. He decided to go to the potions room and brew up some sleeping draught. Madam Pomfrey would need more when the new school year began.

He entered the potions room and found a house elf cleaning each bottle carefully. She jumped when he entered and turned to him cowering slightly.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster, sir. I didn't know you would need this room right now. I'll leave you to your work."

He leveled a dour look at her. The house elves took the summer break as a time to do a very thorough cleaning of Hogwarts. By the time they finished in a month's time, there wouldn't be a speck of dirt in the entire castle.

"You may continue your work," he said sternly, "just stay out of my way."

She squeaked and returned to her cleaning while he went over and set up a cauldron and got the supplies he needed. He stationed himself over the cauldron and began pouring ingredients into it, giving them a stir every now and then. After a while the house elf was done and he heard a pop that signaled her departure. He continued working. Thoughts of Lana would constantly creep into his mind. Her smile, the way she looked at him, her laugh, they all invaded his concentration. He sighed and stepped away from the cauldron for a few minutes. It was going to be a long summer.

There was a knock at his door.

"Enter," he demanded.

It was Mr. Filch. "Sorry to disturb you, sir. I just wanted to let you know that the rest of the faculty has left. We have the place to ourselves."

Severus just nodded.

"I'll be in my quarters if you need me," Filch said and turned to go.

"Please do a morning and evening patrol of the grounds every day, Mr. Filch. As you know, I will be away on leave in two weeks. When I am gone, please increase the patrols to four times a day. While I am here, if there is any sign of trouble, alert me immediately. While I am gone, you will need to alert Minerva, who will be available through owl post."

"Very good sir, consider it done," replied Filch.

"Thank you Mr. Filch," Severus said dismissively and turned away.

Filch left and Severus went back to his potion, stirring and thinking of Lana and stirring again.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Lana appeared in a campground in the wilderness. She heaved a great sigh. It had taken most of the day for her to get here. She walked along and studied the area. There were about ten tents set up in an oval shape leaving a large open field in the center. In the middle of the field was a large camp fire area. A witch stood next to the campfire stirring a great cauldron that had been placed on it. The witch looked up and gave a smile to Lana as she passed by.

Lana stopped and said, "Hi, I'm Lana Snape. I'm looking for Claudio Torre's tent. Could you point it out for me please?"

The witch put her hand out cordially. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Snape. I'm Ludwilla Carmicheal. Claudio's tent is there at the front of the oval." She pointed it out to her.

Lana thanked her and set off for the tent. About one hundred yards past the tent stood the castle. Of course, you wouldn't know it was a castle by just looking at it. The entire thing was nothing more than a heap of rubble. There were three large mountains of it, which Lana supposed had been turrets at one time. The rest of the castle was just a hilly mound of stone and dirt. Her excitement began to grow. She always loved poking around in these old relics. There was nothing more refreshing than getting your hands dirty in ancient clay.

She came to the mouth of the tent and pulled a small cord on the side that was attached to a small bell.

"Come in," came a voice from within.

She entered and let her eyes adjust to the light. There was Claudio, not looking a day older than the last time she had seen him. He was beside a table that had a large diagram on it. He smoothed out his curly brown hair and his hazel eyes caught hers.

"Lana! I'm glad you got here all right. How was the trip?" he greeted her jovially.

"Exhausting!" she exclaimed. Apparition and pregnancy don't really mix very well."

They gave each other a warm hug before Claudio led her to the table. He showed her the diagram on it.

"Let me present to you Torre Castle!"

"Haven't found out who owned it yet, hmm?" she flashed him a smile and bent to look at the diagram. It was more detailed than the small one he had sent her with the portfolio. The entire above ground of the castle was drawn as dirt mounds, but underneath, the diagram showed an extensive floor of dungeons.

"You've already uncovered all of this?" she cried excitedly.

"No, not yet, but I'm sure the dungeons extend the length of the castle. Using blueprints from other castles of the time, I've presupposed what we may find." He grinned at her.

"So what have you been able to unearth so far?"

"Now mind you, we've only been here a week," he warned her. "We have unearthed the entire staircase and have entered into the antechamber. Unfortunately, the entire ceiling has collapsed upon the dungeons. It's going to be slow work to get through to anything fun."

Lana's eyes twinkled. "Good, I haven't missed anything then."

Claudio gave a hearty laugh. "You always were one to get your hands dirty, eh Lana?"

She returned his laugh with a smile. "Have you found any scrolls or writings yet?"

"Not yet, but I don't expect to find anything until we clear the antechamber, or maybe beyond that." He looked at Lana more closely. "Lana, I'm sorry, you must be exhausted. You can set up your tent anywhere along the oval where there's room for it. Get settled and get some rest. If there's anything you need please let me know. I'll take you over to the dig in the morning. We could use another wand at the ready." He smiled at her again as she turned and left.

As she emerged from the tent, she looked around and found a nice spot to pitch her tent. She opened her back pack and took the miniaturized tent and placed it on the ground. With a spin of her wand the tent had grown to regular size. She picked up her gear and entered it. Like any good tent it was much bigger within than it was without. She threw her backpack onto the table and pulled out the little box with the Snipe in it. She opened the box and released the small bird.

"I hope the trip wasn't too rough on you Knave," she told him.

The bird looked at her, _You seem to be much more tired than I am, you should lie down._

She gave him a big grin. "I'll bet Severus told you to tell me that!"

_I'll never tell my sources_ the bird quipped.

She smiled at him and scrawled a quick not to Severus. She attached it to Knave. "Please take this to Severus for me. He'll be wondering where I am. Thank you again for helping us out."

With a nod the bird flapped his wings and disappeared. Lana sighed and reached into her pack again. She pulled out a picture and stared at it. It showed Severus embracing her and then they kissed. It was her favorite picture of the two of them. She placed it in the center of the table so she could see it whenever she entered the tent. She gave it a little smile and caressed Severus face. She missed him already. Well, she would see him very soon. She was sure the week would go by quickly with all that there was to see and learn here. There was a little pop and she jumped as Knave appeared out of nowhere. He hopped over to her and extended his leg.

"Thank you," she told him absently as she reached for the note. She unfolded it and read it.

_Lana, _

_Glad you're there safely. All is quiet in the castle. I miss you terribly. _

_Love, Severus_

She smiled at the note and then gave a great yawn. She had had enough excitement for one day. She looked around the tent and found a wire basket hanging over the sink. She took a towel and placed it within the basket and scooped up Knave and set him in it.

"How is this for a bed for you?" she asked him.

He looked around and then circled around a couple of times before settling in to the bedding. _It will do nicely, thank you Lana._

"All right then, good night Knave."

_Good night Lana_

She turned and retreated to the bedroom, kicked off her shoes and collapsed into the bed fully clothed. She was too exhausted to undress. She curled up into a ball under the covers and was soon fast asleep.

* * *

The next morning she awoke to a bright room. The translucent tent material sent a shimmer of sunlight through it making the room light up like the sun. She frowned. She had wanted to sleep in a bit. She got up and got her back pack. She quickly unpacked everything and threw on some clothes. She could smell bacon coming from the campfire and was about to go out and get some breakfast when she spotted Knave. He was eyeing her coolly from his bed.

"Oh, good morning Knave. Are you hungry? I'm not sure what kind of food Snipes eat."

_I can get my own food_ he told her. He blinked at her twice. _Are you going to comb your hair?_

Lana reached out to touch her hair. The top of it was sticking out in all directions. "Oh my gosh! I forgot all about it, I was so anxious to unpack everything."

She wheeled around and set out for the bathroom. She picked up her brush and ran it through her hair until it was soft and smooth. Knowing she was going to be digging around in dirt all day, she fastened it into a pony tail and was ready to go.

"See you later Knave," she yelled as she left the tent and went to get some breakfast. She smiled a good morning to Ludwilla as the witch handed her a plate with bacon and pancakes on it. She meandered over to a table crowded with researches and introduced herself. They all greeted her warmly. She sat next to a small squat man named Porto. He chattered on jovially about the dig and what they had found and not found. She nodded enthusiastically in all of the right places as she finished her breakfast. She was enjoying this somewhat one sided conversation, but needed to get going. When she could get a word in she excused herself and went to find Claudio.

She rang the bell and entered the tent. Claudio looked up from the diagram he was studying and gave her a flashy smile.

"Did you rest well?" he asked her.

"She smiled back at him. "I slept like a log! I didn't even change my clothes, I was so exhausted."

He stood up and moved around the table. "Well, are you ready to get going?"

Her eyes danced. "I've been ready since you sent me that portfolio," she quipped.

They exited the tent and set out towards the dig site. As they neared it, she realized just how large the mounds of earth were. They stopped at the base of the castle. A large mound of bricks shot up in front of them. It was probably twenty feet high.

"Well, here she is," Claudio said. He pointed out the stairway they had been excavating. It was located toward the back of the castle in one corner. They made their way over to it and she peered down into the dark hole where the stairs disappeared. Her excitement tingled again.

"What are we waiting for?" she asked him.

He chuckled and lifted his wand. "Lumos," he said softly and then proceeded down the stairs. Lana did the same and followed him closely.

"Stay to the right on the stairs to avoid the excavation work," Claudio warned her.

She laid a hand on the dark cold wall as she descended. There was still a small layer of earth on it that crumbled to the floor as she pressed against it. As they descended small mounds of dirt floated past them. They exited the opening at the top of the stairs and disappeared.

They reached the bottom of the staircase. It opened into what appeared to be a large room, although most of it was buried in dirt. There was about ten feet square of the room that had been opened up. At the wall of dirt stood three researchers waving their wands and chanting "_Excavato._" Small chunks of earth would extract themselves from the wall and slowly float up the stairs.

"Claudio, why is it taking so long to clear this out? Usually these chambers can be dug out in a matter of days."

"It's the amount of dirt. Also the collapse impacted it so tightly that it's difficult to break up into smaller pieces. You remember my friends." He pointed to a wizard on the left who was adorned in bright purple robes. "This is Grant Conner, in the center is Maura Lentin, and on that end is George Dubeck. I think you have met them before, haven't you?"

She had recognized Maura right off and was already advancing toward her when Claudio started the introductions. All four of them had worked together along with Claudio on a dig in Egypt and she had become close to all of them. She gave Maura a hug and the two men came over to do the same.

"I can't believe you guys are here! I thought I'd never see any of you again with my new career." She smiled at the three of them.

Maura almost squealed. "It's so good to see you. Why haven't you written me in all of this time? I've wondered where you went off to."

Lana gave her a sheepish look and apologized. George stared down at her stomach and looked surprised.

"It looks like you've brought along someone with you, eh?" he joked.

She looked down and rubbed her slightly protruding belly. Smiling she said, "Yes. I'm due in about four months."

"Congratulations!" said Grant. His flamboyant gowns sparkled as he moved. "Is it a boy or a girl?" he asked her.

"We don't know yet. My husband Severus and I decided to keep it a surprise."

They chuckled at this and congratulated some more. Then Maura became serious. "Well," she glanced at the dirt wall, "this wall isn't going to dig up itself!"

Claudio jumped in, "Rightly so. Lana and I will go over there and use vanishing charms while you three continue with the excavating charms."

They all headed to their designated spots and commenced the work again, chattering amongst themselves while they slowly made the wall disappear.

* * *

A/N _Hope you're all liking this. I'm still looking for baby names, so feel free to suggest some._


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all the Harry Potter Characters. I own Lana Snape. _

**Chapter 4**

Lana threw herself on the bed. She was exhausted. The week had gone by rapidly and it was Friday evening already. They had gotten quite a bit done. The entire antechamber was now clear. Unfortunately, there had been nothing found in the chamber. It had been a bit disappointing to find the entire room barren, but that was all in a days work with dig sites.

They had found two doors at the end of the chamber and had decided to start on the room that was on the left. They had only made a dent in it. As soon as there was a little space in the new room, they could get more people to work on the room that was situated to the right of the chamber. Even though the antechamber had been somewhat disappointing she was looking forward to excavating the two new rooms. They had to hold something!

She chided herself. She shouldn't be so disappointed at the antechamber. It was, in fact, a magnificent room. It was about thirty feet round and the ceiling was at least fifteen feet high. There were some ornate pillars surrounding the edges of the room. They were made of marble. The flooring was marble also and the grouting was made of gold. It was too bad it had fallen into ruin. It must have been amazing in its day.

After a few minutes she got up and went into the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror. She was covered in dirt. She whipped her clothes off and jumped into the shower. After a few minutes she emerged looking refreshed. She quickly got dressed. She originally wasn't going to apparate back to Hogwarts until the morning, but she thought that she would have some fun and surprise Severus. Besides, now that she had nothing to do, her longing to be with him was overtaking her common sense.

She wandered up to Knave. "Are you sure you'll be all right here without me?" she asked him.

He looked at her as if she were crazy. _I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Anyway, traveling with you is long and tiresome. I can apparate to you when I need to._

She smiled at him and tapped him on the head lovingly. "Well, I'll miss you. Be careful in your hunts. I'll see you Sunday night."

With that she was out of the tent door and had popped away. The bird snuggled in for a good nights rest.

She appeared in front of the Hogwarts gates looking exhausted. It was nearly midnight and she had skipped dinner. She was famished. She dug into her bag and pulled out some nuts to snack on. She unlocked the gates and hurried to the castle doors. Finishing the nuts, she opened the door. She entered and hurried toward her apartment. As she got to the door, she smoothed out her hair and tried to fix anything that had been messed up through apparition. She unlocked the door and peered into the apartment. Everything was dark, except for a dim light coming from under the bedroom door.

She dropped her bag and closed the door behind her. She turned and a wand was thrust against her neck.

"For heaven's sake Severus, what kind of a welcome home is that?" she cried.

"Lana!" He threw his arms around her and twirled her in the air. "You weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow!" He kissed her and she threw her arms around him.

"I decided to surprise you. Remind me never to do that again, you about killed me!"

"Well what did you expect? I'm alone in this castle except for Filch and someone decides to break into my apartment." He pulled her into the bedroom and sat her on the bed. "How are you feeling? How was the trip?"

She flopped down onto the pillow. "Oh Severus, I'm exhausted. These long apparitions are really hard, especially with the baby."

He lay down beside her and rubbed her tummy. "So, how is my little boy anyway?" His eyes twinkled.

"Your daughter is doing just fine; except I think she is going to be a gymnast. She won't stop tumbling."

They each teased each other mercilessly about the sex of the baby. Severus was adamant that it was a son, and by default, Lana was adamant about it being a girl. In reality, neither of them cared what it turned out to be, as long as it was healthy.

Severus glanced at her stomach in wonderment. "Is he moving now? Can I feel him?"

She took his hand and guided him to where the baby was using her as a punching bag. "She's right here."

He applied a little pressure to Lana's stomach and was rewarded by a faint kick to his hand. He stared at her stomach in amazement. This was the first time he had been able to feel the movement that Lana had been describing for the past couple of weeks. He pressed back, and the baby and he had a small go between with pushes and kicks. He glanced up at Lana, about to say something when he realized she was fast asleep. He carefully pulled the covers up over them and embraced her as she slept. Their bed had been so lonely without her.

* * *

Lana opened her eyes and realized she was starving. She was so hungry that she felt like she wanted to throw up. _Dang kid, always so demanding _she thought. She glanced at the clock. It was seven a.m. She glanced around for Severus, but he wasn't in the bed. She sat up and felt a pain in her stomach. Boy she needed some food, and fast.

Just then Severus came in with a tray heaped up with eggs and toast and a big carafe of pumpkin juice. She smiled at him.

"You must have read my mind! I'm famished."

He set the tray before her and they both grabbed forks and started to eat. They ate in silence for a few minutes until Lana put her fork down and said, "Now I'm so full I can't move. I wish this kid would make up her mind." She flashed a smile at Severus. "What's on the schedule today, my dear?"

He placed his fork down and picked up the tray to put it where the house elf could clear it. "I need to go to Hogsmeade. Aberforth is holding some shipments that have come in this week for the school. Do you want to walk there or apparate?"

"Oh please let's walk. I've had enough apparating for a few days," she complained.

He kissed her on the forehead and went to get dressed. In a few minutes they were walking along the corridors heading for the door. Severus put his arm around Lana and drew her close.

"This place has been awful without you, you know. Even the ghosts have been abominable."

"You're being nice to everybody, aren't you Severus?" she smiled up at him knowingly.

"Whatever do you mean? I've been my usual charming self."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "And my absence hasn't made you more grumpy than usual? I'm really impressed at your control."

He glanced down at her coolly. "Ask anyone, I've been my normal self, not too demanding of anyone."

At that moment Peeves decided to swoop down over them. "He's been a devil, Oh yes a devil. Severus Snape is nothing but the devil!" He disappeared down the hall singing his new tune over and over again. Lana burst into uncontrolled laughter and had to stop to lean against Severus so she didn't fall over laughing.

"Yes, very amusing," he drolled.

"And I thought you didn't care!" She continued laughing and kissed his cheek.

* * *

Hogsmeade was actually quite crowded. The beautiful summer weather had brought everyone out to enjoy the day. They had a leisurely stroll along the main street. Lana picked up a few things she needed for her trip. They had a nice lunch and set off for the Hogs Head. They walked hand in hand until they reached it. Severus opened the door and they both went in.

Aberforth greeted them with a smile. "I thought I was going to have to keep this stuff in my bar all summer," he grumbled. "I'm glad you wandered over here to come get it."

Lana smiled at him but Severus just gave him a level stare. They hadn't gotten along well since Severus had overheard the Potter prophecy. They had come to an understanding, though, especially since the killing of Voldemort. Aberforth was actually very helpful in getting stores and supplies for Hogwarts. Severus looked on as his wife and Aberforth chattered away.

Wandering over to the boxes, he examined them. Their content was written on the side of each box. He took his wand and waved it over the boxes so that they floated. He turned back to Lana and Aberforth. They had stopped talking suddenly. He glanced at Lana and noticed that she had a scared look on her face. He rushed to her side and gave her a concerned look. She was holding her stomach and her face was filled with pain. Suddenly she cried out and doubled over.

He looked up at Aberforth. "I'll be back for the supplies later." He quickly lifted Lana up and excited the Hogs Head. He turned on the spot and disapparated to Hogwarts. He gently placed Lana on the ground while he got his wand and unlocked the gates. She lay in a ball whimpering softly.

* * *

Somehow in a matter of minutes, he managed to lift her up, relock the gates, and get to the infirmary. Of course, Madam Pomfrey wasn't there. He placed Lana on a bed and ran to the fireplace. He threw some floo powder in it and stuck his head there to find Poppy. He explained the situation and then rushed back to the bed.

"What can I do?" he pleaded.

Lana just moaned and grabbed her stomach and curled into a ball. She hadn't felt such sharp pain ever. The room was spinning too. She felt as if she were going to vomit.

Just then, Poppy flooed into the room and rushed over. Severus moved out of her way so she could examine Lana. She withdrew her wand and muttered some diagnostic spells. She got a very concerned look on her face.

"The placenta has separated from the uterus. They both could die."

"Can you fix it?" cried Severus.

"Yes, if we've caught it in time." She began muttering incantations. Lana was unconscious and Severus stood at the foot of the bed with his arms crossed.

"Severus, go get the coagulation potion. It will help her to not bleed out."

He ran over to the cabinet and extracted a bottle with yellow liquid in it. He rushed back to Poppy and she drizzled some into Lana's mouth. She went back to her spell casting. After some time she straightened up.

"She'll be alright. She won't be able to go anywhere for a few days, though." She stared down at Lana. "She has been apparating back and forth to Albania, hasn't she?"

Lana began to stir and Severus flew to her side. She opened her eyes and looked at him groggily. "What happened?" she asked him.

"We almost lost you and the baby." He caressed her cheek. "Poppy said you'll be fine though."

Poppy chose this time to interrupt. "I'm sorry Lana, but you won't be able to apparate for the rest of your pregnancy."

Lana's mouth dropped open. "Why not?"

"I think that's the cause of what happened. It's a rare condition. Some expectant mothers suffer separated placentas after apparating. You're lucky, they're almost always fatal."

Severus' mouth tightened into a straight line. He stood and started pacing. Then he turned to Lana with anger in his eyes. "I told you this was going to be too much for you, but no, you had to go gallivanting half way around the world!"

Lana was dumbstruck. She looked at Severus' face filled with fury and started to cry. "Honestly, Severus. I would never do anything to hurt the baby. You know that!"

"You are so impetuous. Why can't you take better care of yourself!" accused Severus.

Lana put her head in her hands and began to sob loudly. "You can't think I would be careless with the baby. You just can't!"

Poppy pulled Severus' arm and twisted him toward her. "I said this was a rare condition, Severus. It's not her fault. She had no idea it could happen, neither did I. After all, I approved her plan to travel back and forth. This isn't helping her to get the rest she needs!" she scolded him.

Severus glared at Poppy, and then at Lana and turned and stalked to the door.

"Don't leave," Lana wailed. "Please don't go!" she cried after him.

He stormed out of the room without even a backward glance.

It only took him about ten minutes to finally come back to his senses. He opened the door crept back in. He glanced around. Poppy had left the room and Lana was lying down with her back to the door. Even in this position he could tell she was crying. A pang of guilt went trough him as he went up to her bed and sat behind her back. He chided himself for overreacting. He placed a hand on her arm.

"Lana, I was stupid. Forgive me." He pleaded.

She turned to look at him. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears. She bit her lower lip.

"Severus, please don't think I did this on purpose."

He laid beside her and pulled her to him in a tender embrace. "I don't. Lana, it's just that you scared me to death. I thought you were going to die." He pulled her away and looked into her eyes. "I went a little crazy. I was even mad at myself for not being able to help you. I shouldn't have said those things. I know you would never do anything to hurt the baby. I'm sorry."

He wiped the tears from her eyes. "Lana, I'm very proud of your work and would never deny you the opportunity to do something you wanted to do. I'm just a prat…all the time."

She gave him a little smile and looked down. He reached out, pulled her chin up, and placed a tender kiss on her lips. She kissed him back. "Lana, don't ever leave me. I'd go insane without you." She pulled him to her and they sunk into the bed together. She rested her head on his chest.

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind for our weekend together" he joked.

She smiled, even though he couldn't see. "What are we going to do now? I can't apparate back to Albania. How am I going to get back?"

He ran his fingers through her long brown hair. "You could take a broom, or the muggle equivalent: an airplane."

"I think I'll take my chances with the broom. Oh no, this means I won't be able to come home every weekend."

"I think I'll be able to get away on the weekends and come to you. Poppy said you need to stay in bed for a few days. You probably should just take this week off. I can go back with you after that. That's when my leave starts."

"They'll wonder what's become of me."

"I'll summon Knave. He can let them know. Are you going to miss much at the site?" He queried.

"No, there's just a lot of digging at this point."

"Promise me you'll be careful, Lana." He rubbed her protruding belly. "My son needs a safe place to grow."

"Your daughter is perfectly content where she is." Lana retorted.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: A little bit of fluff for your holiday.

* * *

_

**Chapter 5**

Severus entered the infirmary holding a bouquet of flowers. He glanced over at Lana's bed and noticed she was still asleep. Even though it was early, he decided he couldn't wait for her to wake up, so he placed the flowers beside her right under her face so they tickled her nose. She wrinkled her nose and adjusted her head so the flowers wouldn't be touching her. He moved them, so they were again strategically placed under her nose. This time she shook her head and rolled over. Sighing in exasperation, Severus went to the other side of the bed and stuck the flowers in her face. She brushed them down with her hand and opened her eyes. Focusing in on the dark purple tulips, her eyes grew wide. She sat up and picked up the flowers.

"Oh, Severus, these are lovely! Thank you so much!" she exclaimed.

He gave her a quick smile and said, "The flowers around Albus' grave needed some trimming, so I thought I'd make good use of them."

Lana's mouth dropped open. "Now that's morbid," she cried.

"Well, if you don't like them, I'll just throw them away." He gave her a quizzical glance and reached for the bouquet.

She hugged the flowers to her. "No, I'll keep them. You know these are my favorites."

"So you're saying you like morbid things?" he teased.

"I like you, don't I?" she quipped.

He scowled at her. "I've been trying to be a little more pleasant."

"Oh, so you're pleasant now? I didn't get the memo." Her eyes danced with mirth.

He pretended to be crushed. "You mean you haven't noticed how nice I have been these last two days while you were in here?"

She frowned. "If that's what you call nice, I don't want to be around when you're mean. Oh, wait, you're always mean."

"That's it!" He pulled the flowers from her and placed them on the table next to the bed. Lana scrunched down and hid under the covers, but it was too late. He flung the sheets back and began to tickle her. She fought back and soon they were in a wrestling match.

"You don't think I'm nice?" he goaded her.

"You're a prat all of the time!" she barely managed to say between giggles.

He threw himself down next to her with a big grin on his face. She could only lay there catching her breath.

"Ow, I think you made me over do it," she finally said between gulps of air.

He looked at her with concern and she batted him on the chest, starting the fight over again.

"You sneaky, little liar! How dare you play upon my concern for you to get me to let my guard down! Oh, you'll pay for that!" he retorted, going in for a behind the leg tickle.

"Ahem!" Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat. "I hate to break up this wrestling match, but it's not good for my patient."

They both froze and stared at Poppy guiltily. Then they melted into a fit of laughter while she looked on hopelessly.

"Yes, well, Lana, if you're feeling this good, you can get out of here. I have grandchildren to spend time with before the school year starts up again and I'd like to continue my vacation." With that she turned and proceeded to the fireplace and flooed away.

They stared after her dumbfounded until Lana burst into giggles again. Severus hugged her and whispered into her ear, "Well, looks like we have the place to ourselves."

Her eyebrow arched. "Let's go back to the apartment. I'm sick of these infirmary beds. Besides, I can just see Filch barging in here thinking his cat is fighting with a boggart or something."

Severus unsuccessfully stifled a laugh. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and asked, "Are you ready?"

She nodded. Offering her his hand, they rose and left the infirmary.

* * *

It took a couple more days for Lana to feel better. She couldn't really walk for a long time and every once in a while she would get a contraction. Those would leave her frozen in place, grimacing in pain, until they subsided. Poppy had warned her that this would happen, so she wasn't overly concerned. She just was amazed at how debilitating they could be. She couldn't imagine how hard they would be when it came time to deliver this kid.

Severus had taken care of her every whim. She smiled over at him secretly. They were both lounging in the living room, reading. He was in a wing backed chair and she was on the couch with her legs up.

He glanced up and noticed her smiling at him. "What are you smiling at?" he asked.

"Nothing, I was just admiring you from afar."

"What exactly were you admiring?"

"I was just thinking of how great a father you're going to be," she replied thoughtfully.

He rolled his eyes. "I doubt it."

"Oh come on! What child wouldn't want a grump like you for a father?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I am not a grump," he said grumpily.

"She'll love you no matter what." She picked up her book to continue. Glancing back at Severus, she noticed he had a worried look on his face. "This is really bothering you, isn't it?" she asked him.

He leveled a glance at her. "Yes," he grumbled.

"Why? Don't you think you'll be a good father?" she asked, puzzled.

"You just said it yourself, Lana, I'm a grump. I'll probably be scaring the poor thing to death before he's one year old. He'll be terrified of me."

She chuckled, and then became sober when he flashed an angry look at her. She got up and went over to him. She sat on the arm of his chair and ran her fingers through his hair. "You're not as big of an ogre as you'd like everyone to think, you know."

"Hmph," he mumbled.

"No, really, you're tough when you have to be, and you do have a bit of a quick temper, but..."

He rolled his eyes. "Lana, my temper is notorious for making enemies of anyone I might like to get to know better."

"I'm not your enemy."

"You're delusional. Someone slipped you a love potion or something. I _am_ a prat all of the time, you just choose to ignore that little tidbit of information." he said glumly.

She gave a little smile, and then continued. "Look, you're not the most amiable person I know, but when people get to know you, they see you're not that bad."

He got up and started to pace. "Lana, I have no friends, the students hate me, and their parents just put up with me because I'm the headmaster."

"You have more friends than you realize. All of the faculty consider themselves your friend. The Malfoy's have been friends of yours for years, and like it or not, Harry Potter has a healthy respect for you. If you can get that guy to like you, you can get a little child to love you."

He gave her a steely look. "You're not going to let me wallow about this are you?"

"Seems like a pretty worthless endeavor if you ask me. Besides, I have seen the side of you that you hide from everyone else." She walked up to him and whispered in his ear. "You're not half as tough as you pretend to be." She leaned back to look at him. "This kid will have you wrapped around her finger in a minute!"

He gave a little smile then. "Do you think so?"

"She'll adore you, just like I do," she told him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He hugged her tightly. "I hope you're right. Are you ready for tomorrow?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Yes," she frowned.

"What is it?" A look of concern crossed his face.

"I'm just nervous about traveling all that way by broomstick. It's going to take forever. What if something happens with the baby?"

"Poppy said you would be fine. Let's look at it as a vacation. I've already picked out several places for us to stay along the way. It'll be fun."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Always full of surprises, aren't you?" she acknowledged. "How can any child not love that?"

He grinned at her. "Maybe you're right," he acquiesced.

"I'm always right!" she said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Mmm hmm," he said before kissing her.

* * *

_A/N: The plot will get more serious in the next couple of chapters. We can't let these guys be happy or safe for any length of time. _


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

They landed outside of the campground. It had taken three days to travel by broom. They had camped along the way and had a good time traveling together, cavorting like newlyweds.

Severus looked around the campsite. "Luxurious accommodations you have for yourselves here," he quipped.

Lana smiled at him and grasped his hand in hers. "Come on, I'll show you around."

She guided him through the center of the campground, stopping to introduce him to Ludwilla, who never seemed to leave the side of her cauldron. They made their way to Claudio's tent and she rang the bell.

"Come in," came a jovial voice.

They entered the tent. Claudio was relaxing in his recliner with a book. At the sight of Lana he threw the book down and bounded to her side. He threw his arms around her and exclaimed, "You're back! I'm glad you're doing better. When Knave came back with that letter saying you almost died…well, we were all very worried to say the least."

Severus stood in the background, an eyebrow arched, viewing this rather handsome man paw at his wife.

"Oh, I'm fine. I just needed a little bed rest. What has happened while I've been gone? Oh, Claudio, this is my husband, Severus Snape."

Claudio extended his hand to greet Severus, but Severus just glared at it. He gave Claudio a curt nod to acknowledge the introduction. Claudio dropped his hand quickly and said somewhat nervously, "It's a pleasure to meet you Severus. Lana here can't say enough good things about you."

Severus gave him a tight smile. "Yes, I have heard much about you also. You seem to be very adept at finding these out of the way places filled with treasure."

Claudio gave a hearty laugh. "Well, we haven't found any treasure at this site as of yet, but we can always hope!"

Lana shook his arm to grab his attention. She was getting impatient. "So, what have you uncovered while I was away?" she demanded.

He turned and gave her a knowing smile. "Calm down Lana, there's not much to tell. We have been able to excavate more from the new rooms. I think you'd probably appreciate seeing them first hand though, instead of hearing a report from me. Why don't you throw your stuff in your tent and I'll meet you over at the stairwell in about fifteen minutes."

"Make it ten." Her excitement flowed from her. She whipped around and headed for the tent exit. Severus watched her amusedly. He hadn't seen his wife this worked up about anything. She really was in her element here. Lana turned and looked at him impatiently. "Well, come on then," she urged.

He glanced at Claudio, who had a Cheshire cat grin on his face. Claudio nodded at him sagely and Severus turned with a sigh and followed his eager wife out of the tent. She grasped his hand again and led him over to their tent. They placed their bags and brooms inside and Lana wheeled around to go back out. Severus put his arms around her waist to stop her.

"Hey," he said, "we've got some time. Let's relax for a minute."

She looked at him and gave him an impatient look. "Not right now Severus. They must have found something interesting, or Claudio would have just told me what it was. I can't wait to see what they've unearthed!" She was practically jumping up and down in his arms.

He tried to hide his mirth at her excitement, but he couldn't. He flashed a smile at her. "You know, you're very beautiful when you're excited like this." He pulled her to him and kissed her. She softened and melted into his arms, returning his kiss. Looking up at him she said, "What would I do without you to calm me down now and then?" She looked into his eyes, "I love you more than anything," she whispered before her lips were on his again.

"Even more than your broken down castle?" he teased.

She punched him in the chest lightly. "You're exasperating!"

"I'm a prat…all of the time."

They both burst out into laughter.

* * *

Not much later they were being led by Claudio through the antechamber. Lana was in full excitement mode again and Severus held her hand tightly. She spied Maura, Grant, and George excavating in the right chamber room, but the left was empty. Claudio directed them over to the empty chamber and raised his wand to illuminate the part that had been cleared. Lana gasped as she surveyed the exposed area. There was what looked like three coffins half buried in the rubble. The coffins were staggered and looked as if they formed part of a circle or oval around the room. 

Severus let go of Lana's hand and wandered over to the first coffin. Because it was on the edge of the formation it had been unearthed the most. He placed a hand on it and then turned to Claudio. "These look like they are vampire coffins. The angles at which they're laid make it look like they are in a vampire's oval."

Claudio grinned. "You're no slouch in your ancient history Severus. That's exactly the conclusion we've come to also."

"When will we be able to uncover an entire coffin?" Lana asked. "Is it possible these vampires still have life in them?"

"It's possible, but highly unlikely," responded Claudio. "The castle has been caved in for many years now. A vampire needs blood sacrifices at least every six months in order to remain undead. I think they've probably all perished. We'll probably have this first coffin unearthed completely in about two days. That will hopefully give us an idea whether our theory is right. We've found the same artifacts in the next room too."

Lana turned on her heel to investigate the next room. She sucked in her breath. They had gone a bit faster in this room and had exposed about the same amount of space here as in the last room. She dodged out of the way of a clump of excavated dirt as it made its way out of the room.

Grant turned and caught a glimpse of her. "Hey, look who decided to show up again for work!" he grinned.

The other two workers dropped their wands at the site of her and rushed to give her a hug. Severus and Claudio wandered in behind her and watched them with smiles on their faces, although Severus' seemed a bit forced. Claudio leaned over to Severus and whispered, "I always love these little reunions of my closest friends. We could be apart for years, and when we do get together again, it's always the same."

A pang of jealously cloyed at Severus. He had never felt close enough to anyone to show such deep affection at a reunion. Well, except for Lana. There was something about that woman. You couldn't help but love her.

As the friends finally quieted down Lana got their attention and proudly said, "I'd like to introduce you all to my husband Severus," she motioned toward him and he gave a slight bow. "Severus, this is Grant, Maura, and George. We've worked together on a few other projects. They're the best at what they do."

"As is your wife," commented Grant. "We have admired her expertise for a long time now." His purple robes glistened around him as he put his arm around Lana and gave her a hug. She smiled at him.

"You guys have gotten a lot done in my absence," she noted. She looked like she was about to pick up her wand and start excavating.

"Now, now, Lana, we don't need help right now. You need to get some rest. I'm sure your trip was a long one. Traveling by broomstick! How tedious!" cried Grant as he rolled his eyes.

Severus took his wife's hand and pulled her toward him. "Actually, it wasn't as bad as you'd imagine." His stare bored through his wife seductively. She blushed. Coming back to reality she scowled a bit and looked at Grant.

"Are all of you going to be treating me like an invalid from now on?" she said crossly.

"Please do," said Severus, "it eases my mind to know that you won't let her go crazy down here and forget to take a break. If you'll excuse us, I think we'll get that rest you were talking about." He gave her a little smile and turned with her to leave the dungeon.

"You're incredibly sexy when you're working," he whispered into her ear as they exited the room and headed for the stairway.

"You're sexy just speaking. Say something would you, anything." She countered.

He nibbled at her ear. "You are driving me crazy."

She giggled. "Keep talking and I won't be able to keep my hands off of you." She turned and gave him a mischievous stare. "Wait a minute; I thought you wanted me to rest!"

"There'll be plenty of time to rest." He hurried her along and they almost ran for the tent.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks for reading. Reviews are really appreciated. _


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Two days later the same group was gathered once again in the dungeon room. The last few mounds of earth were being removed from the casket closest to them. The other two that had been visible before were almost fully unearthed and two more ends of caskets had been uncovered.

Everyone had been hard at work and all showed signs of fatigue. They all stepped aside to let Claudio remove the last mound that would make the casket accessible. With a wave of his wand the mound rose and floated away. Everyone stared in awe for a moment. No one dared approach the casket. They had all been remarking at how plain it was. It was just a wooden box. There were no inscriptions, carvings, or anything else on it.

After a few moments Claudio looked around. "Well, what are we all waiting for?"

He approached the coffin which set everyone else moving forward for a good look. Claudio grasped the sides of the coffin and tried to lift it. It didn't budge.

"I thought that would be too easy," he said while lifting his wand. "_Alohomora_," he muttered and the top rattled a bit.

He was able to reach under the lid and lift it back. He stared into the coffin while the others crowded around to see. The inside was very ornate. It was lined with red velvet in a plush pattern. There was a corpse of a man in a tuxedo with a red cummerbund lying inside. He looked perfectly preserved. He had been a striking man in life. He had black hair and a thin handsome face. His hands were clasped together over his chest. The man had numerous rings on his fingers.

Lana moved over so she could get a good look at the rings on his hand. Most were jewels of some kind, but on his right hand's ring finger was a large golden ring. Instead of a stone, the top of it was struck flat and there was a large rune on it surrounded by some smaller runes in a circle around the large symbol. She lifted his hand to get a better look at the symbols.

"Lana, what does it say?" asked Grant.

"The large symbol reads 'The Undead'" she replied and studied the smaller lines. Her eyebrows knit together in concentration. "The whole phrase is 'The Legacy of Man is the Undead.' It's the Vampire's motto. I've never seen it in such an old language!"

"That confirms it then. This is a vampire's castle," remarked George.

Maura stared at the vampire. "He looks like he's about to wake up any minute!"

"Yes, it's the gift of the Undead." replied Severus. "Even when they are truly dead, a vampire will remain preserved, unless it has been beheaded or staked through the heart."

Claudio glanced at the coffins cover. He noticed something tucked into the folds of the red velvet. He gingerly pulled and dislodged it. It was a scroll. He handed it to Lana who held it with reverence. She tried to slowly open it, but the parchment began to crack.

"All of my equipment is back in the tent. I'll have to take this back there to unroll it." Engrossed in her new project, she absentmindedly turned and headed out of the room.

"I guess we're leaving," said Severus tartly. He turned and followed her as the four researchers chuckled after him.

Without even being aware of it, Lana had returned to the tent and laid the parchment on the table. She hurried to the bedroom to get her kit. It had translation helps in it, but more importantly potions to smooth out papers and keep them from being destroyed while unrolling. As she emerged from the bedroom with the kit, Severus walked in.

"Lana, I've been calling to you for the last five minutes!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, I guess I was preoccupied. I didn't hear you." She put her kit on the table and started rifling in it to find the parchment smoother. Severus gave a sigh, although the corners of his mouth were upturned in mirth. He supposed he should find something to keep himself occupied while his wife disappeared into her work for a while. He went into the bedroom, extracted his shrunken cauldron from his baggage, enlarged it and began to work on a healing draught. He had noticed that the med tents supplies were dwindling and he might as well make himself useful.

* * *

Several hours later he emerged from the bedroom with the draught in several bottles. Lana was hunched over the parchment, studying it. Occasionally she would furiously make notes into a notebook at her side. Severus placed the bottles near the door of the tent and went over to Lana and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"How about taking a break? You've been at it for a long time," he urged her.

She looked up at him and gave him a big smile. "Actually, I'm just about done. What have you been doing all of this time?"

"I was making a healing draught." He motioned to the bottles near the entry of the tent.

Lana's mouth fell open. "Don't tell me I've been at this that long? It takes you hours to brew that potion! I totally lost track of time."

He smiled at her and took her arm to guide her to a standing position. "It's nice to see you passionate about something; something other than me, that is." She smirked at him. "Are you ready for some food? It smells like Ludwilla's dinner is ready."

"I am quite hungry," she mused.

"Well, we shouldn't keep my son from his dinner then," he quipped while rubbing her stomach. "Come on, I'm sure all of your bookish colleagues will want to know what you've been up to all of these hours."

She smiled at him, took his hand, and followed him out of the tent.

A few minutes later they were seated at a table with several of the researchers including Grant, Maura, and Porto. Severus rolled his eyes as he sat next to Porto. The wizard's endless chatter was most annoying to him. He only put up with it because Lana seemed to enjoy the old git and his babbling. He was lucky tonight though. Everyone was raptly listening to Lana's explanation of what she had been translating all afternoon. Severus glanced proudly at his wife as she told them all what the parchment held. Claudio had joined them a few moments before and listened intently.

She described how the parchment was a history of the castle. They all perked up when she explained that. The castle had been owned by a family named Von Kryger. The head of the house was a man named Vladimir. He had been bitten by a vampire as a teenager and after following in his master's footsteps for a while, he had begun his own legacy by building the castle. From what Lana could gather that had been seven hundred years prior to the writing of the parchment, which she believed to be about 1300 years old, given the writing style and some remarks in the text.

"So who is the man in the coffin?" asked Maura.

"It doesn't say. It only names Vladimir Von Kryger. I assume the corpse is one of his descendents or victims who joined with the Vampire Lord."

She went on and explained that Von Kryger had built himself quite a legacy. Several of his family members and those he had bitten had joined him. They were probably the corpses in the two rooms they were excavating. The parchment described another room beyond those they were working in. According to the writings, the corpse and coffin of Von Kryger himself should be there, alone, in a place of reverence. Her eyes twinkled a little bit.

"This is where the story gets interesting," she continued. "The parchment speaks of a set of three books. There should be one in each room. When they are together, they supposedly hold the key to reviving the vampires, if anything should happen to them. Even if they had been killed by stake or beheaded, the books contain powerful spells that can restore the vampires to their original "undead" state."

Claudio's eyebrows knit together. "These books sound dangerous," he murmured.

"They are, but they only work together," stated Lana, "and the spells need to be chanted aloud around a cauldron to be effective. I don't think any harm can come of just translating the books. I'm sure there's more to the ceremony outlined in the books, but that's what the parchment described."

Claudio seemed to ease his concerns. "Have you finished translating the entire parchment, Lana?"

"Yes, well I'm almost done with it. The last part of the writing is a list of names of all of the vampires who have ever lived in the castle and when they joined or left the "family". It had been updated through the years with new names. Eventually the writing turned to English as times drew closer to our own. I'm about half way through the list. I'm sure the names of the people in those two rooms are included in it, but I'm not sure if we'll ever know who is who."

"Can you tell how long it has been since the castle was destroyed?" Porto asked.

"The last name has a date entered over forty years ago."

Grant let out a low whistle. "I wonder what happened. The destruction is too extensive to be manmade."

"We may never know." Claudio mused.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks for reading. There's more mystery and intrigue to come. :)_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Thanks to xtremesnapefan for the great review. Maybe her review can get some of you to review too! And now, on with the show:_

* * *

**Chapter 8**

A few days later Lana and Severus were relaxing in the tent with Knave. He was telling them of his exploits hunting lizards and rodents in the wilderness when there was a ring of the bell outside.

"Come in," Lana yelled over her shoulder.

Claudio burst in excitedly. He was carrying a large book in his hands. Lana was motioning him to have a seat when she noticed the book.

"Is that…"

"Yes, we just got it out. Can you read the title?"

He placed the book in her lap. It was very old and was about three inches thick. The exterior was covered in worn satiny blue cloth. There was an oval of red rubies in the lower half of the book. In the center of the rubies was a teardrop diamond. The title was embroidered into the book above the jewels.

Lana studied the title. "_The Book of Life_," she read. She touched the cover of the book and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge. It was as if someone had cemented the book shut. "Why won't it open?" she asked Claudio.

"I was hoping you would know. None of us have been able to open it. It doesn't say on the cover?"

"No, there's just the title. Severus, have you ever heard of this book?"

"I'm not an authority on vampires, Lana. I just know the basics about them." He leaned over Lana to get a better look at the book. "I've never heard of any _Book of Life _attributed to vampires. It sounds Egyptian."

"I wonder if it's derived from Egyptian beliefs and customs?" she mused. "How long before you reach the book in the other chamber?"

"It will be a couple more days," replied Claudio.

"Maybe we'll get some answers then." Lana responded thoughtfully.

* * *

Severus' two week hiatus was ending. He and Lana were getting ready for his departure. Not much had happened at the site since the first book had been found. The researchers were still working furiously to dig out both chambers and unearth the second book, but it had been slow going. The farther back they dug, the harder it was to excavate. The earth became more compacted and difficult to break apart. Lana hoped they would be able to clear the two rooms soon. She was anxious to start in on the Master Chamber that held Von Kryger.

She turned her attention to Severus, who was shrinking things and placing them into his back pack. She put her arms around him.

"Are you sure you can't stay just one more night?"

He turned and looked at her. She was pouting. He couldn't help but grin at her. "Honestly, Lana. You understand about jobs and work ethic. I have to go, not that I want to." He put his arms around her. "Now you promise to send Knave with a note every evening, right? If I don't hear from you, you'll have to deal with my wrath." He had made his voice sound particularly stern for the last part.

She giggled. "Does that mean you'll come back and punish me?"

He scoffed at her. "Woman, you won't be able to bear the things I'll have in store for you if you disobey my will."

She became mockingly serious. "Yes, dear, I wouldn't think of going against your will."

He picked her up and spun her around. "I'll miss you terribly," he confessed. He knelt down so he could speak into her stomach. "Don't give your mother any trouble, young man, or you'll have me to answer to." He stood again and patted her stomach lovingly.

She reached her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. They didn't separate for a few minutes. "Something to remember me by," she told him huskily.

"Even without such a precious gift, I couldn't forget you." He kissed her again, and then reluctantly pulled away. They walked out of the tent and over to the apparition spot. He gave her a final good bye kiss and turned and disappeared. She sighed. She had gotten used to him helping out around the site. This next week was going to drag without his company. She sighed again and started counting the hours until the weekend would come and he would return to her.

* * *

Severus paced back and forth in his room. _She's late _he thought grumpily. It had only been three days since he left and she was already keeping him waiting for Knave to bring her letter. She always got engrossed in her work and forgot about him. Hopefully she would remember to even send the bird.

Without warning Knave appeared on the couch, flapping his wings a bit. Severus didn't say a word to him. He stalked over to the bird and released the letter.

_It's not my fault I'm late. There was some big hubbub at the site. Lana just barely got home._

Severus only gave him a glaring look, so the bird turned away and sat on the sofa waiting for a reply letter.

_Dearest Severus,_

_I know this letter will arrive late and I apologize. I ran all the way here from the castle, but I'm still running behind. I do have a good reason. We finally unearthed the second book! It is much like the first, except red in color. It has the same jewels on it, but the title of this one is _The Book of Death. _This just keeps getting more curious. We are unable to open this book either. I can't imagine why. I would think that if these vampires wanted to be resurrected, they would make their rule books a little easier to get into! We have almost gotten to the far wall in the first room, I'm hoping there will be a door there leading to the Master Chamber. If not, we'll have to wait until we fully excavate the second chamber. Anyway, as you can see, we have had an exciting day. Of course it would be more exciting if you were here with me. Remember, I always love you. I'm sorry again to be late, I hope you weren't worried._

_Love, Lana_

His anger abated a little. The woman was too sweet to stay annoyed with for very long, especially when she was professing her love for him. He took a piece of parchment and began to write a return note.

_My beautiful Lana,_

_You had me scared to death! I could just imagine you buried under a big pile of rubble from a cave in or something. Maybe we should change the time of your letter delivery. Let's do it an hour later. That should give you the time you need to wake up from the trance you always fall into with a new discovery. I am excited for your find. Perhaps you need all three books to be able to access the information within them. _

_Hogwarts is very quiet. I have enjoyed the solitude, but I find myself constantly wishing you were here with me. I will see you in a few days._

_Love, Severus_

He rolled the note up and went over to Knave. He strapped the note to the bird's leg.

He spoke to the bird with his mind, _Please keep an eye on her Knave; you know how she gets when she's absorbed in something. I have unexplained misgivings about this whole dig. I think she is in danger, but I don't know from what._

The bird gave him a quick nod. _You can count on my help sir. _

With that the bird flapped his wings and disappeared, leaving Severus to ponder his apprehension. He didn't think it was simply not being able to watch over her every minute, although that would put his mind at rest somewhat. Maybe it was because she was with child. He had become extremely over protective over the past few months, much to Lana's annoyance. But there was something more to this. Perhaps it was the vampire angle of the whole mystery. His fear was deep seeded, leaving a ball in the pit of his stomach whenever he thought of Lana being in Albania. Years of being a spy had taught him to trust his instincts. There was something more than meets the eye with this castle. Maybe he could uncover the cause of his trepidation this weekend.

* * *

Severus stared at the two books. The blue one lay on the left and right next to it sat the red. He lifted the red one and fingered the jewels and then the title. He tried to open it, to no avail. Turning to Lana, he asked if they had tried the various unlocking spells. Of course, they had, plus a myriad of other incantations, all to no avail. Severus turned the book over in his hands. He noticed some blue and yellow markings smudged on the back of the faded red satin. Picking up the blue book he noticed wear and pale markings in red and yellow. Staring at them for a moment, an idea began to form in his mind. He took the red book and placed it on top of the blue book. Within a matter of minutes the two books were absorbed into each other magically. It was as if they were melting together. Lana rushed up next to him to get a closer look. After a minute a purple book, twice the thickness of the other two sat in the old book's place. Instead of one oval ring of red jewels, there now were two, and the center diamond had grown to twice its size. Both titles were emblazoned on the cover. Lana's eyes grew wide as she reached for the new book. She excitedly tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. She looked at Severus with disappointment.

"I think you're right, we need all three books to be able to unlock this." Brightening she exclaimed, "That was a great move! I would have never placed the books one on top of the other like that. They're so fragile I have been keeping them apart." She looked at him admiringly. "What would I do without you?"

He got a mischievous look on his face. "Oh probably wither away and die. You're so weak and uneducated. Without me to guide you, I'm afraid you'd just be lost."

She folded her arms and looked at him. "Don't push it Mister. There are other tents that you can sleep in, you know."

He took a step closer to her, "But they don't have you in them."

She looked up at him smugly, "Exactly my point."

Closing the distance between them, he pulled her close to him. "You think I can't live without you?"

"If I'm not mistaken, you tell me that at least once a week," she replied lustily.

He arched an eyebrow at her. "I've been condemned by my own words." He scooped her up and headed toward the bedroom. "You're getting a little hard to carry around these days," he joked.

She looked at him furiously. "You try carrying your daughter around in your abdomen night and day and see if you don't get a little heavier than you are now!" She began to swat at him.

He placed her on the bed laughing. "I'm just kidding!" He shielded himself from her frantic blows.

"Well, it's not funny, I'm only six months pregnant and I already feel as big as a house! I won't be able to even fit into Hogwarts by the time this kid is ready to come out."

His mirth disappeared as he realized she was really agonizing over this. He sat on the bed and took her hand. "Lana, you're beautiful pregnant." Placing his hand on her stomach he looked lovingly into her eyes. "I'm amazed every time I look at you. Just think; you're creating a life. It doesn't matter to me how big you get, I'm just thrilled you're carrying my son."

She gave him a genuine smile. "Once again, your silver tongue has flattered me into thinking better of myself." She curled her arms around his neck and pulled him down onto the bed. "I love you," she purred.

"And I can't live without you," he whispered before he enveloped her in an embrace and placed his lips on hers in a hungry kiss.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Lana, Claudio, and Porto gathered around the lone coffin. Unlike the other coffins, which had been plain wood, this coffin was incredibly ornate. It too was made of wood, but there had been vines and leaves carefully carved into it. The top was flat and a family crest had been inlaid into it. Claudio lifted his wand and pronounced the _Alohomora _spell and the top gave a little jerk. He raised the lid and they all peered inside.

"Fascinating," whispered Porto.

Inside lay a skeleton with a stake protruding from its chest. It was still dressed in its tuxedo which lay flat over the bones.

"Wow!" exclaimed Claudio. "I wonder why he was the only one to be staked."

"He's the leader. Maybe without the head vampire, the rest can't be resurrected," Lana guessed. "Too bad, I was anxious to see what this guy looked like."

After searching the coffin, Claudio replaced the top. "Hopefully he rests in peace."

The three of them glanced at the wall of dirt just beyond the coffin.

"If this room is set up like the others, we should get through to that book by tomorrow," Claudio mused, "Hopefully we can have some answers soon."

* * *

Severus sat in his study thinking about his wife. He had not found anything amiss at the site in his last two visits and was questioning his misgivings. He was just being overprotective. Still something nagged at him. _Calm down, she can take care of herself_ he told himself.

At that moment, Knave appeared. Severus gave the bird a quick nod as he took the letter off of his leg.

"Any news?" he asked the bird.

_Nothing but what she has written in her letter. She misses you._

His lips turned up in a smile at that news as he unrolled the parchment and began to read.

_My Love,_

_It has only been a day, but I can't help but wish you were here. Even though I am surrounded by researches and friends, it is difficult to get through my day without seeing your handsome face. _

_We should be able to unearth the last book tomorrow. We uncovered Von Kryger's tomb today. Someone had gotten there before the cave in as a stake was driven through his heart. There was nothing left of him but his skeleton. It's all very peculiar. None of us can guess why he was the only one attacked, except for the fact that he was the head of the group. I would think that they would have all been staked in any case, to ensure none of them would continue on in the Vampire's legacy. Perhaps the three books will shed some light on this._

_I look forward to your return this weekend. You are so good to me, making the long journey every week, just to put up with me having my nose in a book the whole time._

_I love you, Lana_

Severus smiled to himself, penned a quick note, and sent Knave on his way.

The next night her note was very short.

_Severus,_

_I just got the book. It's called the _Book of Rebirth. _Hopefully when they are joined we will be able to read them. _

_Love, Lana_

He scrawled a quick note back.

_Lana, my love,_

_Please be careful. I don't feel good about this book._

_Love you eternally, Severus

* * *

_

Lana read the quick note and smiled to herself. He was always so overprotective. How could translating an ancient book be trouble? Leaving the note on the table, she picked up the yellow _Book of Rebirth _and placed it onto the larger _Book of Life/Book of Death. _The books melted together to form a black book. The book had all three titles engraved on it in gold and a third ring of rubies surrounded a large oval diamond. Knave looked on as she caressed the top of the book. Lana's head snapped up and her eyes narrowed at the bird. Quickly she picked up the book and vanished into the bedroom. Knave stared after her. He had never seen her look suspicious like that. Maybe Severus was right. Perhaps there was something more to this vampire book than met the eye.

Lana placed the book on her bed and knelt down to examine it better. When she had touched it in the living area of the tent, it had shocked her. A feeling of intense dislike and suspicion had overcome her and she had swept the book up and retreated to the bedroom. She caressed it and felt an unbearable urge to open it. Her fingers curled around the cover and she was amazed to see it open as she pulled it back. A great green light shot out from the book. Lana was thrown backwards as a man's form emerged from it. Lana looked on in horror as the form turned to face her. She recognized the apparition at once. His snakelike red eyes burned into her mind. It was Voldemort.

* * *

_A/N: Duh, duh, duh, duh. Oh no. How did Voldie get into the book? Sorry this is kind of short, but it's a great place for a cliffie. Please review._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Voldemort threw back his head and laughed an evil laugh that sent shivers down Lana's spine.

"Finally! I have form again after existing as practically nothing for all of this time. Of course, I was always conscious; conscious of my lack of form; or rather my pathetic, shivering, tiny, worthless form."

He caressed his shape and laughed again. Lana tried to get up but she was frozen in place. Voldemort snapped his head toward her.

"Do I have you to thank for this?" he queried. He floated over to her so that her face was inches from his. "You look familiar. How do I know you?" he demanded. "You may speak."

Suddenly Lana couldn't hold her tongue. "I am Lana Snape," she replied against her will.

Voldemort looked shocked. "So that traitor has roped himself a wife." He glanced down at her protruding stomach. "Yes, you would have had to be pregnant to open the book, excellent. I can exact revenge _and_ get my body back."

A deep fear settled into Lana's stomach, but she was unable to mutter a word.

"Yes, that's right. You should be afraid, my pet. You must be wondering what is going on. You see, I stumbled upon this castle when I was searching for the Ravenclaw diadem. I was friendly with the vampires and they told me the story of the three books. The resurrection aspects intrigued me. I wanted to use them for myself. I learned all that I could about them and the process, then I killed Von Kryger. With the head vampire gone, I could take over the magic in the books. They're not quite as good as a Horcrux, but in case my Horcruxes failed me and I did die, I had this one backup plan. I destroyed the castle, and then placed an invisibility charm over the ruins. If I were to ever be killed, the charm would be broken, and this place discovered. I knew it would only be a matter of time before I could regain my body back. My only concern was that I needed an unborn child for the ritual, but you solved that didn't you." He smiled evilly at her, showing his pointy teeth.

He stared into her eyes, reading her mind. "Yes, good; the child turns seven months old on Saturday. Once the child has reached that stage, I will be able to sacrifice it for the ritual. You seem to have a little reprieve before this weekend, then."

Lana still couldn't move, but her consciousness screamed inside of her. She had to somehow get away from him. She must tell everyone what had happened.

Voldemort looked as if he were about to murder someone. "No! You will not alert your friends of this. I must return to finish my work. I have worked too hard to let it all slip between my fingers because of your husband and that Potter brat! You will be under my control from now on."

Lana watched him get even closer to her and cringed as he put his lips on hers. Involuntarily she responded as he kissed her. His tongue snaked into her mouth and greedily searched it. She screamed within herself as he continued his harsh kiss. It would have been less painful if he had killed her instead. His kiss penetrated every point of her body. Her consciousness withdrew into itself; it was too much to bear. When he withdrew from her, her face was blank.

"You will remember nothing of what has happened here in the morning. You will be your normal self."

"Yes my Lord," she muttered.

"You need an assistant. Bring someone here tomorrow night, so they can be initiated into the ritual and instructed."

"Yes, my Lord."

Lana hesitated for a minute.

"What is it?" Voldemort demanded.

"What of my husband. He receives a letter from me each night and will be here on the weekend."

Voldemort's face grew dark. "I will not have him ruin this! Have you written him today?"

"Yes, my Lord."

He spun around in a plume of green smoke. You will write him tomorrow morning telling him you are too busy to see him this weekend. With the discovery of the book, you have too much to do. You will not remember the contents of the note after you write it. Is that understood?"

"Yes my Lord."

"Continue the letters throughout the week letting him know trivial things, so he suspects nothing. By the time he figures things out, you will be dead!"

"Yes, my Lord."

He approached her again and laughed a low growling laugh. "I will instruct you on more details after you bring the assistant. For now…Sleep."

She closed the book, got into the bed, and pulled the book close to her. She was asleep in a matter of seconds. Locked in her subconscious, Lana's psyche fought to escape, but her body only slept on.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: Hope you enjoy this chapter. Just a warning, there's some graphic detail about the ritual. I tried to make it as mild as possible, but if that kind of thing bothers you, skip it. Oh yeah, please review. :)_

**Chapter 11 **

Severus could only stare at the letter in disbelief. She had just said yesterday that she couldn't wait to see him, now she was telling him to stay at home; she was too busy to have time to spend with him. He looked up at Knave.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "Is she really this busy?"

_I don't think so. She doesn't seem any more busy than usual. She hasn't even looked at the book today._

"What happened last night? Did she get the book open?" Severus asked.

_I'm not sure. She combined them, and then gave me the oddest look. She took the book into her room and I didn't see her until this morning. She left the book in her room._

Severus looked nervous. "Did you hear anything while she was in there?"

_I thought I heard a man laughing, but it was brief. There was a green glow coming from under the door for quite a while._

Severus' eyebrows knit in worry. "Knave, I need you to find out what's going on. Can you spy on her when she goes into her room again? Perhaps you can hide in the closet or something."

_I will do as you ask and report back to you when I have some information. I am worried too. I have never seen her look like that. She was angry and suspicious. It was most unlike her._

Severus became eve more worried. He looked up at the bird and thanked him.

* * *

That evening, Lana led Claudio to the bedroom. She was unusually quiet. Even Claudio had made a comment before they entered the bedroom. Knave waited a minute then silently apparated into the closet. She had left the door open fortunately, so he had a good view of the two of them as they kneeled next to the bed. Lana reached for the book and opened it. Knave's eyes grew wide as Voldemort swirled up and out of the book. The spirit man glanced in his direction and Knave clouded his thoughts. Voldemort turned back to the two people at the bedside. Claudio looked on in horror but seemed to be unable to move. Lana just looked up blankly at Voldemort.

_What on earth was going on? _Knave thought.

Voldemort drew closer to the two.

"Very good, my pet, you have succeeded in finding us an assistant." He put his hand onto Claudio's forehead and a blank stare came over his face. Voldemort put his hand back by his side.

"You are here to assist us in a ritual," he told Claudio. "I need my body back and the vampires have given me a way to attain it. This Saturday, when the woman's baby is seven months along, you will go into the woods and set up a large cauldron. Between now and then, you will enter each of the vampire's coffins and remove the ruby clasp that holds their capes on. On the night of the ritual, these stones must be placed in three circles around the cauldron. Set up an altar over the cauldron. The woman will join you at the ritual site before midnight. Place her on the altar and at midnight, cut the baby from her womb. Place the woman's body into the cauldron. You must work quickly, for the child must remain alive until the end of the ritual! You will need a transformation potion. Pour it over the woman's body, take the child and pierce its heart over her body while chanting this incantation."

The book opened to a page and Claudio and Lana looked at the chant.

"You must utter it in the original language for it to be effective. Once that has been done, the woman's body will transform into mine and I will take possession of it."

They nodded dumbly. Voldemort turned to Lana.

"Teach him the incantation," he demanded.

She repeated the chant emotionlessly until Claudio could repeat it without errors.

Voldemort turned to Claudio. "You will remember nothing of what has happened here tonight. You will gather the stones and forget what you have done. I have no further need of you until the ritual, but you will report your progress."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Leave now and go straight to your tent. Talk to no one and go to sleep. Act normally in the morning."

"Yes, my Lord." Claudio rose and exited the room without another word.

Voldemort turned to Lana. "Guard this book with your life. If anyone suspects you, you are to kill them. Is that understood?"

"I will kill them, my Lord," Lana responded flatly.

"Now, you may sleep."

Like the night before, she closed the book, crawled into bed, and curled up holding the book, she was fast asleep in moments.

Knave couldn't believe what he had witnessed. Severus had been more than right. This was the worst possible thing that could happen. He flapped his wings and apparated to Severus.

* * *

He appeared on the bed next to Severus' sleeping form.

_Severus, wake up! I have news!_

Severus' eyes snapped open and he turned to find Knave on the bed. Even for a bird, he looked ruffled. The bird began pacing in circles on the bed and then turned to Severus.

_Danger! You're all in great danger!_

Severus sat up. "Tell me what you found out."

_It's Voldemort! He somehow was in the book. Lana brought Claudio over tonight and when she opened the book, Voldemort came out. There's some sort of ritual he can do to regain his body. _The bird suddenly stopped talking and put his bill under his wing.

The fear that was dormant in Severus all of these weeks bloomed into a great ball in the pit of his stomach. Voldemort was back? How could that be? Potter had killed him and destroyed the Horcruxes.

"How can Voldemort be back? What does the ritual entail?" he asked, already suspecting what the answer would be.

_I don't know how he got in the book, but it's worse than you can imagine. He needs the baby. He'll sacrifice Lana, and then the baby and use Lana's body to reform his own. He needs Claudio to perform the ritual. He's put them both into some kind of trance. It's like they've been imperioused or something._

Severus' heart leapt into his throat. His past had come back to haunt him yet again. Now his wife's and baby's lives were hanging in the balance. He stood and took out his wand and was about to apparate to the dig site when Knave interrupted his thoughts.

_You can't just rush in there. You need to find out how to destroy the book, so Voldemort will be destroyed too._

Severus lowered his wand and sighed. "How long before this ritual takes place?"

Knave leveled a sober look at him. _It's this weekend, on Saturday. Once the baby is seven months along, the ritual can be performed._

Severus collapsed to his knees beside the bed. He put his head in his hands and tore at his hair. "I thought this was all over! Why can't that devil just stay dead?"

Knave hopped over to him. _You must not lose hope. Voldemort is weak now. He can be defeated easily before he regains a body. You must find out how to kill him once and for all._

"I need the help of a vampire." Severus said suddenly.

He rose and went out to the fireplace. He threw some floo powder into it and said "Slughorn's." His face appeared in Horace Slughorn's fireplace. Severus glanced around the dark room. Horace was obviously in bed. Severus withdrew and grabbed more floo powder. Time was of the essence, he didn't have the luxury to be polite. He stepped into the fireplace, cried "Slughorn's" and threw the floo powder onto the ground. With a snap, he appeared back in the Slughorn fireplace. Quickly searching the home, he found Horace's bedroom and knocked loudly. After a minute he knocked again, this time so hard that the door almost flew off of its hinges.

A frightened voice came from the opposite side of the door. "I'm armed, so just go back from where you came from!" Slughorn bellowed.

"Horace! It's Severus," he barked. "It's an emergency. I must speak with you!"

Severus heard footsteps and suddenly the door opened, revealing an irate Horace Slughorn on the other side.

"What the devil is the meaning of this Severus? It's the middle of the night. Usually people use the doorbell!"

Severus had no time to look sorry. "I need your help. What is the name of your Vampire friend? The one who comes to all of your parties? I need to talk with him."

"That would be Sanguini. What ever do you need to talk to him for?"

"Where can I find him? It's a matter of life and death."

"Now Severus, I just can't go giving you people's addresses without knowing the reason! This is highly irregular."

Severus' patience disappeared. He grabbed Horace by the collar and pulled him within inches of his face.

"My wife's life is at stake! That's the reason. Now tell me where he lives or I'll turn you into a cockroach!"

Slughorn backtracked. "Now, now Severus, that's all you had to say. He lives in a cemetery. It's called Old Mortlake Cemetery in London. He's the caretaker. His house is located in the back of the place. It looks like a mausoleum, but as you approach it you can tell it is a residence. Just tell him I sent you, he'll tell you whatever it is you need to know."

Severus released Horace. "Thank you." He turned and had left the house before Slughorn had a chance to ask him anything else.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Severus stood in front of the caretaker's house. Indeed it did look like a mausoleum. It had colums and a great staircase that led up to a black door. Gargoyles sat on either side of the door to welcome visitors. A fitting home for a modern day vampire, he supposed. He went up to the door quickly and rang the bell. He knew Sanguini would be awake at this late hour, most vampires slept during the day.

The door opened a crack and he saw a man with sharp features peering at him.

"Mr. Sanguini. My name is Severus Snape. I'm Headmaster at Hogwarts. I have a bit of a problem and I think you might be able to help me. Horace Slughorn told me where to find you."

The other man's eyes lit up. It was infrequently that a willing subject came to him. He flashed his long teeth and invited Severus in.

Severus stormed past him unaware of Sanguini's bloodthirsty look. He turned to begin his story and noticed the man was creeping toward him. Sanguini was smiling and his pointed teeth were gleaming. Finally Severus noticed the wanton expression on his face and realized he was about to be the Vampire's next meal. Severus drew his wand and pointed it directly at Sanguini's heart.

"This may not work as well as a stake, but I know I can inflict some serious damage," he told Sanguini bluntly.

The vampire withdrew. "Sorry," he hissed. "I misunderstood your visit."

Severus slowly lowered his wand, and then exasperated, he grunted, "I don't have time for this!"

He started to pace. "My wife has been on an archeological dig of a vampire's castle. She has uncovered a trio of books that have been usurped by Lord Voldemort."

"She has discovered the Books of Rebirth?" Sanguini exclaimed.

Severus looked up at him. "Are those the three books that show how to resurrect vampires, even when they have been beheaded or staked?"

"Yes," he replied, looking concerned. "There are several copies, held with great vampire families. The three books combined form the Book of Rebirth. Which family's copy has she come upon?"

"It's the Von Kryger copy."

Sanguini's eyes widened. "That family disappeared over forty years ago! Even the castle could not be found! Where was it?"

"Albania," he snapped.

"What happened to them?" Sanguini asked.

Severus rolled his eyes. "I don't know; I'm not there! The castle has been destroyed and the coffins are being unearthed by the archaeologists now." Frustrated, he got to his desire, "I need you to tell me how to destroy the book."

Sanguini gave him a stern look. "You can't expect me to reveal that to you!"

Severus stepped closer to the vampire. "Did you not hear me say that Voldemort had taken control of them? Do you really want that maniac to reclaim his body and wreak havoc over the world again?"

"But that is a wizarding matter." Sanguini replied flatly.

Severus glared at him. "This is a matter for everyone. Once Voldemort has the power he wants he will subjugate everyone to him, including vampires," he spat. He poked Sanguini in the chest as he said, "besides, he has possessed _your _book, which automatically makes this a vampire matter."

"You can't expect me to help you destroy that book! It is sacred to all vampires." Sanguini was practically shouting.

Severus grabbed him by the shoulders and stared into his eyes. "Don't you understand? Voldemort has corrupted the book. He has possession of it. He has probably turned it into an abomination. It must be destroyed!"

Sanguini looked uneasy. He studied Severus, searching for some duplicity, but he only saw desperation and determination.

"I suppose your wife is pregnant?" he asked Severus.

"How do you know that?"

"The rebirth ritual requires a seven month old fetus. He plans to destroy her I take it?"

Severus' grip became tighter and a snarl came over his face. "Of course he does. He destroys everything he touches." He relaxed his grip a little and calmed down. "You must help me defeat him."

Sanguini studied the other man. After a moment he gave a quick nod and Severus released him from his grip.

"You need to drive a stake through the heart of the book," he said, somewhat sadly.

"That seems too simple," Severus countered.

"It cannot be an ordinary stake. The wood must be made of hawthorn. It must be soaked for three days in a mixture of garlic, wild rose, holy water, and this," he turned and went over to a cabinet. Rummaging around, he took out a little vial. Returning to Severus, he handed it to him.

"What is in this?" asked Severus, looking at it curiously.

"It's vampire's blood. When added to the mixture it acts as a counter potion, destroying that which it touches instead of bringing it life. Remember, you must let the stake soak for three days, or it will not be powerful enough to destroy the book. You must drive the stake through the heart of the book."

Severus looked at him quizzically, "Where is the heart of the book?"

"There should be some jewels on the cover. Pierce the diamond in the center." Sanguini took some parchment and wrote the recipe for the potion. He handed it to Severus.

Severus eyed the ingredients as he nodded. "Thank you for your help. I will not forget your assistance."

With that he wheeled around and rushed out of the home. He had much to do.

A few hours later he was in his potions lab. He had carved two stakes out of an old Hawthorn branch and had broken into a church to steal some holy water. He poured the ingredients into a cauldron and stirred them up. Picking up the stakes, he lowered them into the cauldron so they were submerged in the potion. He straightened up and stared into the cauldron. Now all he needed to do was wait.

He glanced at the clock. It was near dawn. He had been up all night. He should probably get some rest. He would need to be at his best to defeat the Dark Lord, even if Voldemort was just a ghost at this point. As he retreated to his apartment, he wondered if he would sleep at all.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks for reading, please review._


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Severus awoke to a slight nudge at his arm. Knave was prodding him with his beak. Severus sat up and rubbed his eyes. Was it really that late?

_Its past five o'clock, I have your note_ said Knave as he stretched out his leg.

Severus hurried to release it from the bird's leg.

_Dear Severus,_

_All is normal here. Busy with the translation. Miss you._

_Love, Lana_

Severus crumpled the parchment. "This says nothing. What's going on Knave?"

_She seems perfectly normal today. After she wrote this a strange look came over her face and she went into the bedroom. Do you want me to see what she's doing in there?_

Severus blanched. He didn't want to know what Voldemort was doing to her, but he had to. He turned back to Knave.

"Yes," was his only reply.

Knave nodded and disappeared. Severus settled back into the bed to wait for the birds report.

After a while Knave returned. Voldemort had gone over everything again and made sure that Claudio was doing his part. So far Claudio had collected all of the stones from one of the rooms. He would be getting the rest tomorrow. After reporting this to Severus, Knave looked away nervously.

"Was there something else?" Severus queried, "You look awfully evasive."

Knave lowered his head. _Voldemort did something you're not going to like._

Severus' eyes narrowed. "I don't like anything Voldemort does. Spit it out."

_He kissed her._

Severus looked on in rage. "He did what?"

_It must be how he is controlling her. When he finished she seemed to be in a more trancelike state._

"He kissed my _wife_?"

_I told you, you wouldn't like it._

Severus banged his fist on the bed. "I need to get her out of there now!"

_You need a plan. Were you able to talk to a vampire?_

"Yes, he told me how to destroy the book, but I need three days to prepare the weapon. I can't wait that long!"

_Severus, you have to. Is there any other way to destroy the book?_

Severus looked down. "No. But I just can't leave her there." He was pleading.

_She is safe for now. Voldemort can't do anything to her until the baby is mature enough. He won't harm her. He is just assuring that she is under his control. You know she would never do any of this without being under some sort of spell._

Severus looked away.

_She loves you_._ She practically worships the ground you walk on._

"She kissed him."

_She wasn't even there! She's nothing but a vacant body. There's not even thought behind her eyes._

Severus stared at Knave as realization came over him. The picture of his wife staring blankly at him without recognition was burning into his memory. "How could he do this to her Knave?" he asked softly.

_He is ruthless and evil, _Knave responded.

Severus huffed.

_So can you bide your time until this weapon is ready?_

He sighed. He was used to waiting, but not when his family's lives were on the line. Looking up at Knave he responded, "Yes."

Knave nodded at him and disappeared. Severus lay back down with his face in the pillow. He had never felt so helpless. He had to just stand by while his wife was being mauled by that serpent. Although he had just awakened only a short while ago, all he wanted to do was sleep. Maybe that would help the time pass faster. He fluffed his pillow and tried to lose his worries in unconsciousness.

* * *

_They were sitting on the rug by the fire. She smiled up at him. Severus pulled her to him and kissed her gently. _

"_I love you," he confided in her._

_Pulling away, she sneered at him and then burst into an evil laugh. _

"_Why would I ever love you, when I can have Voldemort?" she spat at him._

_He gave her a stricken look. "Lana, he's evil!" _

"_He's kissed me you know? I couldn't get enough of him." Her eyes sparkled._

_Severus looked after her as she got up and turned toward him. He wanted to jump off of the nearest turret._

"_He wants me you know, more than you do. I don't even know what I ever saw in you. You're pathetic." Her distaste was evident. "This," she motioned about, "is over. I have finally found the one I've been searching for."_

"_But you're my wife," he mumbled, grief shadowing his face._

"_That was the worst mistake I ever made! I have hated you for years. You disgust me! I wish I had never laid eyes on you!"_

_Her words cut him to the bone. How could he have been so foolish? He took out his wand and pointed, not at Lana, but at himself. He couldn't go on living knowing how she felt about him. _

"_Avada Keda…"_

He gave a start and his eyes shot open. He was lying on his bed holding his wand, which was pointed toward his chest. He actually thought he had muttered part of the curse aloud. He caught his breath as he mulled over the dream. Had it just been his insecurities coming out, or had Voldemort somehow influenced the dream? No matter how horrid his nightmares had been before, he had never picked up items or tried to off himself.

He sat up and pulled his hands through his hair. Would this nightmare never end? His mind raced with thoughts of Lana and Voldemort kissing. She was under his power and had no choice. Anger welled within him as he thought of his wife being violated like that. He would make sure Voldemort paid for his torture.

Abandoning anymore thoughts of sleep, he rose and stalked into the hall. He would do the rounds tonight. It would at least give him something to concentrate on other than Lana.

He stopped in the potions room to check on the stakes. Nothing seemed to be happening, but he was sure that the potion was doing what it needed to. There were two more days before he could begin his journey to Albania. That would place his arrival on Saturday night. Just in time for this ritual. Voldemort would be waiting for him. He left the Potions room and continued walking the halls, formulating a plan of attack.

The following evening, Knave appeared with Lana's letter. Severus muttered that it was just the same as the day before, before scribbling a reply and sending the bird on its way. Knave appeared to Lana and she absentmindedly took off the note from his leg, leaving both the bird and the unread parchment on the table and wandering into the bedroom. Knave apparated into the closet for his usual spy work.

Lana opened the book and Voldemort emerged surrounded by the green light. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Lana.

"It seems you're a little more present than usual, my pet," he said suspiciously.

"Y-yes, my L-Lord," she stuttered.

"Yes, you need to remember who's in charge," he said sharply as he approached her.

He took her head in a vice like grip and brought his mouth onto hers. The kiss was hard and wild. Lana responded and then her face went blank as Voldemort withdrew. Her eyes shone red.

Knave gasped involuntarily and Voldemort snapped his head toward the closet. In an instant he had seen the bird. Knave tried to block the entry into his mind, but he was only half successful.

Voldemort commanded Lana, "Kill the bird!"

She wheeled around brandishing her wand and cried "Avada Kedavra!"

Knave flapped his wings and was gone less than a second before the green light struck where he had been standing. He appeared at the table where Severus sat, his feathers ruffled.

"That was a short trip," Severus said with his head buried in a book on vampires.

_Severus, we've been found out! _cried Knave.

Severus put the book down. "What happened?"

_I was in the closet, spying. Lana opened the book and Voldemort came out. He said she seemed to be more aware or something and that she needed to remember who was in charge. Then he had swooped down and was kissing her maniacally. I could see her face go blank and her eyes were glowing red for a second. I couldn't help it, I gasped! I'm sorry Severus, I gave us away!_

Severus stared at him for a few moments, his lips forming a thin line. "Are you all right?" he finally asked.

Knave sighed and put down his head. _Yes, but your wife is quite a shot with her wand. If I had waited another millisecond to disapparate, I would have been killed._

Severus clenched his fists. Lana would probably have died for that bird, now Voldemort had her trying to kill him. He looked back at Knave. "How much did he find out?"

_Too much! He knows that you know, obviously. He'll suspect that you will be coming for him._

"Does he know about the weapon or that I know what he is about to do?" asked Severus seriously.

_I think I was able to block my thoughts before he got to those details._

"Then we are no worse than we were before," Severus said with a relieved tone.

Knave looked up at him curiously. _But I've blown everything. He knows that you're aware of him._

"I suspect he knew all along. He was probably thinking that I would appear sometime this weekend to find out what was going on anyway. Last night I had the strangest dream. I think Voldemort was trying to make me kill myself."

Knave's eyes got big. _How did he do that from so far away?_

"I suppose it was some form of long distance mind control. All I know is that I woke up with my wand pointing at my chest and I was chanting the death curse."

_Aren't you worried about him affecting you again?_

"Yes, but I'll just have to be more aware of my mental state while sleeping."

_So you're going to go on as if nothing happened?_

"According to you, nothing new has been revealed. But this does give us some problems. Voldemort will probably recruit others as guards now. Of course, you cannot return to Lana anymore or she'll kill you. I was going to ask you to have Grant, Maura, Porto, and George meet me in the forest when I arrive. I could use their help. You'll have to be careful when you approach them. They may be working against us now."

_I'll contact them immediately._

"No, wait! Wait until tomorrow. You'll need to be very careful. Try to figure out if they are under Voldemort's control. I will be able to arrive Saturday evening. We need to move before the ritual at midnight. I can use _Legilimency_ on them to see if they've been hypnotized before I contact them directly. Just tell them something funny is going on and that I would like to talk with them privately before talking to Lana."

The bird nodded. _I will go in the morning. Voldemort will have done something by then if he is going to._

Severus rose. "I am going to check on the stakes. I will return later. Make yourself at home."

Severus turned to leave.

_There's one more thing Severus. Lana is fighting this. She could barely answer Voldemort when he first appeared out of the book. He had to strengthen his hold on her with that horrid kiss. She's still in there somewhere._

Severus felt a little relief at those words, but his wife and baby's lives were still in grave danger. He gave a little nod to Knave and with that, spun on his heel and exited the apartment.

* * *

_A/N: I know the Voldie kisses are really gross, but they make for an eerie form of control.. (At least I think so.) If you disagree, leave a review. If you don't, leave a review too. Just leave a review. :)_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

His mind raced as he went down to the Potions room. Memories of Lana raced through his thoughts. Images of a baby he may never even hold made his stomach turn. The time was getting close. He hoped this plan would work, or they would all be dead and that maniac would be let loose yet again.

He entered the classroom and moved to the cauldron. Looking into it, he raised an eyebrow. Something was definitely happening. The stakes had taken on a sheen. It looked like they may be petrifying. That was good; as he hadn't a clue as to how regular wood was going to pierce the hardness of a diamond. He wasn't even sure that wood turned to stone would do the trick, but the magical elements of the potion would hopefully take care of any weakness on the stakes parts.

He had a day and a half more to wait. The stakes would be ready at dawn on Saturday. It seemed like it was taking forever. He thought of the many things Voldemort could do to Lana between now and then. He wished he could end this all now and hold her in his arms. His patience was wearing thin.

Maybe there _was_ something he could do now, though. He had worked with Lana on _Legilimency _and _Occlumency. _He could try to send her a message. Maybe the part of her that was able to fight her captivity could hear him. He concentrated and sent the message.

Far away, inside Lana's conscience, she was a prisoner. She was in what appeared to be a stone cell. Her ankles were chained and ropes bound her arms out away from her body. She had been trying to escape for what seemed like forever. She had managed to unbind one of her hands for a time, but Voldemort had found out, and the rope had magically rebound itself. She spent most of her time trying to communicate with her outer self, telling herself not to follow that evil monster, but she had mostly been unsuccessful. She had only succeeded in making herself stutter. A lot of help that would be! A stuttering zombie would still kill anything that got in Voldemort's way.

She bowed her head in hopelessness. This was useless; he was too strong for her. A single tear fell down her cheek. She would die a horrible death and there was nothing she could do about it; absolutely nothing.

Suddenly her eyes snapped open. Had she just heard something? She concentrated, furiously trying to decipher the mumbling she thought she heard.

_I love you and I'm coming._

It was Severus' voice. Her heart leapt. He knew she was in danger and was coming to help! She quickly masked her feelings. She knew Voldemort kept an eye on her inner conscience and she didn't want to betray the elation that she was now feeling. She didn't dare try to contact him, that _thing_ might know. She redoubled her efforts to escape from her bonds and regain some control over her wayward body.

Severus came back to himself. He had been able to see her. The sight of his wife bound against a wall was enough to make him want to destroy the whole Potions room. He knew it was only her consciousness, but his blood boiled nonetheless. He was able to see when she deciphered his message. She even had the presence of mind to cloud her thoughts after a second, so the Dark Lord couldn't know what she was feeling. He admired her strength and was relieved that she was still whole inside.

He left the Potions room and walked the halls to abate his anger at Voldemort. After a few minutes, the anger turned into a feeling of helplessness. He needed to get his emotions in check, or he'd never be able to succeed with this rescue.

He rounded a corner and stopped dead in his tracks. Voldemort stood in front of him with a smug look on his face. It took a minute for Severus to realize he was just appearing in his head. He guarded his thoughts, but let the Dark Lord stay. He wanted to know what this was all about.

Voldemort tapped his wand into his empty palm._ "Well, Severus, you traitorous snake, we meet again. I suppose you thought your life could be normal with me gone?" _His voice became low and menacing. _"You should have known you can never get rid of me!"_

"You should have remained dead, the way Potter left you," spat Severus.

Voldemort snarled._ "I will have revenge on that mangy cur in my own time! I have more important things to think about, like attaining a body for one thing. I know you know that I have your wife. She's quite delicious, you know."_

Severus' hands clenched into fists. If he could have destroyed Voldemort right here and now there would be nothing left but a smoldering pile of ash.

"Release my wife. She can do nothing for you."

"_That's where your wrong, Severus, she is my future." _His eyes blazed fire as he went on._ "She can help me to regain myself. Her help will be invaluable to my rise back to power and I will be eternally…grateful."_

"I will not stand by and watch you destroy my wife or my unborn child! Release her or I will destroy you!"

"_Aren't you a bit presumptuous to be threatening me? I am your all powerful God, or did you forget?" _He glared at Severus for a moment. Then taking on an air of courtesy, he said, _"Actually, that's why I'm here Severus. I could use you back as an ally. If you rejoin me faithfully, you'll have a place at my side and great power in the new world." _The next part of Voldemort's words was dripping with sarcasm,_ "All you have to do is kill your wife for me." _He grinned mercilessly.

"I will never help you again. The only reason I did before was to defeat you! I would rather die than help you!" Severus was livid.

"_Be careful what you wish for Severus. I suppose I'll be seeing you in the flesh soon, hmm?" _He grinned maniacally.

"You can count on it," Severus spat through clenched teeth.

"_Then I'll look forward to your death!" _Voldemort shrieked and was gone.

Severus stepped back a couple of paces. That was certainly one face he could have gotten along without seeing ever again. How could that insane maniac think he would ever rejoin the ranks of the death eaters? The man was psychotic.

After rounds, he returned to his apartment. He noticed that several hours had gone by. Knave sat on the couch, asleep with his beak under one wing. Severus decided he needed some sleep too and retired to the bedroom. He debated locking his wand away, so he didn't use it in his dreams, but he decided it needed to be at the ready.

He placed the wand on the night stand, changed into pajamas, and went to bed. It was a long time before he fell asleep.

_They were back in front of the fire, kissing. Severus looked at Lana and she smiled at him. He told her he loved her. She came in for another embrace. She smiled again and he noticed something about her teeth. They were…pointy. She had vampire teeth! Before he could register the meaning of that she had swept in and sunk her teeth deep into his neck. He stiffened as she drank his blood. It was bone chillingly erotic. She released him and his hand went involuntarily to the wound she had left on him. He looked at her curiously._

_She tilted her head and looked at him coyly. "So what's your plan, my dear?"_

_He stared at her puzzled. "What plan are you referring to?"_

"_Your rescue plan for me, my pet. You must tell me all about it."_

"_I think I'd rather keep that under my hat right now."_

"_But the vampire's bite makes it impossible for you to resist me." Her face had neared until she was only an inch from his. "You must tell me everything." She smiled an evil grin at him._

_He backed away and tried to avoid her. _It's only a dream. She's not real.

"_Oh I'm very real, Severus. Tell me your plans." She cuddled up next to him with a smirk on her face._

_He resisted an incredible urge to tell her everything. "I'd rather not tell you right now," he replied nervously._

_She traced his cheek with her finger. "Tell me or I'll be forced to bite you again."_

Only a dream, only a dream _he thought. "Sorry, Lana, I can't tell you that."_

_Her face erupted in fury. "Tell me your plans! I must know!"_

_Anger filled Severus' voice. "I will not. Just give up the questions, Lana."_

_Lana morphed into Voldemort. He was still inches from Severus' face. Severus pushed back in alarm. _

"_She'll never come back to you, you know. I fulfill her," he hissed. "She realizes what a fool of a man you are."_

_A vision of Lana and Voldemort entangled in each other's arms appeared behind Voldemort. Severus' eyes grew wide and his heart seemed to stop._

"_You see how happy she is. She's a passionate little minx. I see why you can't resist her. But you don't deserve her. You're a pathetic man, filled with hate. She needs better than that."_

_Severus watched her sadly and had to admit Voldemort was right. He looked down, unable to watch the display anymore._

"_Why don't you do her a favor and let her go? Give her the freedom to love a real man. She deserves that after putting up with the likes of you all of this time." _

_Severus' wand appeared, floating in front of him._

"_Take it," Voldemort whispered, his eyes gleaming. "You know what you must do."_

_Severus reached for the wand and realized what was happening. _This is just a dream; you can control your own dreams! _He grabbed the wand and pointed it at Voldemort screaming a banishing charm at him. Voldemort frowned as he disappeared._

Severus woke with his wand in his hand. This time it was pointed away from him. He had succeeded in getting rid of the interloper from his mind. He heaved a great sigh. Why were these dreams taking over his rational thought? He knew Lana was being manipulated by Voldemort. He also knew how much she loved him. It still amazed him sometimes, but he never doubted it. The dream must have something to do with Voldemort's hypnotic powers. He had a knack of bringing every insecurity Severus had ever felt and reawakening it. He was taking over Severus' mind in the dreams.

Voldemort would use this weapon again. He needed to be ready for it. He needed to overcome his personal insecurities and be ready for another attack. Of course the best thing to make oneself feel better was a good night's sleep. He arose from the bed and went into the bathroom. He rummaged in the cabinet, searching for a specific potion. He found the dreamless sleep draught and returned to the bed. Lying down, he removed the stopper and drained the bottle. Voldemort would have no more entry into his mind tonight. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

* * *

_A/N: Hope you're all enjoying this. Please review. You know you want to._


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Minerva McGonagall was surprised to see an owl tapping at her window. She was at her summer cottage and usually didn't receive any owls or even visitors for that matter. She loved spending a few weeks here, just herself and her thoughts. It had been a relaxing time for her, a time to renew before the new semester began.

She went to the window and took the message from the bird, giving it a treat. The owl was waiting, so the message must need a response. She opened it and read.

_Minerva,_

_Something has happened to Lana and I need to go to Albania indefinitely. I need you to cover my duties while I'm away, if you can. I will explain everything when you arrive here. Please let me know if you can take over as headmistress while I am gone._

_Thank you,_

_Severus_

She looked up with a faraway look. She wondered what was going on. Quickly she scribbled a reply that she would be there this afternoon and secured it to the owl. He took flight and was gone. With a worried look, she headed up to her bedroom to pack.

A few hours later she was seated in the headmaster's office across from Severus. He was sitting back comfortably in his chair, but he looked very agitated.

"Thank you, Minerva for coming so quickly," he told her. He explained the situation while Minerva listened intently. "To be honest, Minerva, I don't know if either of us will survive this. You may wind up having the headmistress position permanently."

She frowned. "That's just not acceptable, Severus. You have to succeed and bring Lana back whole. Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you and help out on that end?"

He thought for a moment. "No. You need to be here and run Hogwarts. You know the ins and outs of this place better than anyone except me. I have some friends at the dig that will help me."

"Well, maybe you should ask some of the Order to join you," she countered.

"No. I need to do this myself. If we do not return, that will mean that Voldemort has returned fully. You must then alert the Order and prepare an assault against him."

"How am I to know if you don't succeed? I'll just be waiting here, not knowing what's going on."

"I have a snipe that will come and fill you in on whether my plan was successful or not."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Where did you acquire such a rare bird?" she asked in amazement.

"I have my sources. Just be on the lookout for him. He has a way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it."

"I'll be waiting for your word then. When are you leaving?"

"I'll be ready on Saturday morning, early. It will take me all day to get to Albania. The ritual is set for that night."

"Good luck, Severus. Let me know what else I can do before you go." She got up to leave.

He nodded to her and she left the office. He sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. Rubbing his nose he went over everything again in his head. It would work, it was a good plan.

His thoughts were on Lana again. Usually when he was this tense she would appear out of nowhere and massage his shoulders. She had a sixth sense about his moods and what would help him to relax. His insides clenched at the thought of her not being there anymore.

Sighing he realized he couldn't stand it anymore. He needed to make contact with her again. His mind reached out to her. He could feel her struggling to take back control of her mind. Then he was standing right there next to her. She looked at him in wonderment. He could feel her mind slamming up walls so Voldemort couldn't see her. He embraced her and she laid her head on his chest. He wished he could release her from her bonds, but that was impossible.

_He's going to kill me,_ she thought to him.

_I will be here soon. I just need to wait for a few things to be ready. I won't let him hurt you any more, _he told her.

_Be careful, he's just as evil as before, even though he is without a body. _

_I will be. I know who I'm dealing with. I _will _get you out of this, trust me._

_I do. Implicitly, _she thought to him. _You need to go. I can't keep this wall up much longer without him being suspicious._

He hugged her again and kissed her on the forehead. Looking into her eyes he encouraged her. _Don't lose hope. I will be here before you know it._

She smiled at him weakly as he disappeared from her mind. He returned to himself. Frowning, he thought that there wasn't a punishment bad enough that he could do to Voldemort for hurting his wife like this. His plan had to work.

* * *

_A/N: Next time: What will Severus find in Albania and will he prevail?_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Saturday, dawn had arrived and Severus was making his way to the Potions room. Knave had spoken to Lana's four friends. Porto and George had tried to kill him on site. _They were probably not trustworthy anymore_, he had informed Severus. Severus had smirked at that bit of information. Maura and Grant had seemed to be normal. Knave explained that something was going on and Severus needed their help. They had agreed to meet him in the forest this evening. He would need them both if this plan was to succeed, so he hoped that they had not fallen under Voldemort's control before he got to them.

He reached the Potions room and went to the cauldron. He took in a deep breath. The stakes had turned a dark translucent amber color. They were quite beautiful and he almost regretted having to destroy them, but he didn't have time to pine away over a couple of stakes. He reached into the potion and retrieved them. He laid them on a towel and dried them off. Going over to the cabinet, he removed two mallets. Taking the mallets and stakes, he hid them in his cloak and exited the room.

Knave was waiting for him outside the door.

_All is ready I take it?_

"Yes, Knave, I'm going to disapparate immediately when I get off the grounds."

_I will go ahead and scout things out. I'll meet you in the forest north of your rendezvous point with Grant and Maura. Hopefully they are still on our side._

Severus looked down at the snipe with gratitude. "I am indebted to you for all of your help Knave. I would have never been able to do any of this without you."

_Take care of yourself, Severus, and good luck._

With that the bird disappeared and Severus headed for the gates of Hogwarts, his future rolled up in the pockets of his cloak.

* * *

That evening, he finally appeared in the forest near the Castle dig. Knave looked up at him as he appeared. He didn't look very happy.

"Am I alone in this quest?" Severus asked him.

_No, Maura and Grant are at the appointed place. However, I think they are the only two who have not been hypnotized by Voldemort. Everyone else seems to have a more vacant expression on their faces._

"Why haven't Grand and Maura been affected?"

_I told them not to go into Lana's tent under any circumstances. I believe they followed my advice._

Severus gave a small huff. "Well, let's see whether they're trustworthy or not."

Sneaking up to the rendezvous point, Severus saw the two friends sitting on a log, their backs to him. It was a perfect opportunity and Severus reached his mind out to read their thoughts. He sighed within himself. They were clean. Nodding to Knave, he approached the two and greeted them. They returned the greeting, but met his gaze with concern. He sat down on another log across from them and began to explain the events of the past week or so. Their expressions went from amazement, to disbelief, to concern, to urgency as he told the tale.

"What can we do to help?" Maura asked anxiously.

Severus removed a stake and mallet from his pocket. "I need one of you to volunteer to stake the book in case I am killed or cannot reach it."

Grant stared at the stake for a moment before saying, "I'll do it."

Severus nodded to him and gave him the instruments. "You must stab it right in the middle of the diamond on the cover, or it will not work. Pierce it as deeply as you can."

He looked at both of them sternly. "I expect the rest of the researches have been recruited by Voldemort. He will have them guarding the ritual site. We will have a severe battle on our hands. I'll need you both to try to keep them occupied while I slip through and stake the book. Remember, these people are under an external influence, so although they will fight well, their reactions will be sluggish. Take advantage of that fact whenever you can."

The other two nodded at him. He turned to Knave and asked, "Where is the ritual site?"

_It's on the other side of the campsite, only a few hundred yards away. There are guards surrounding the cauldron._

Severus nodded. It was getting late. "Scout ahead for us and let us know if there are any surprises waiting." He glanced at the other two. "Are we all ready then?"

They nodded and stood up. Knave disappeared as the three began the trek to the ritual site.

* * *

Lana rose from the bed, a vacant look on her face. She lifted the book to her and hugged it close. Leaving the tent, she headed toward the ritual site. Two men fell into step behind her. One of them was Porto, the other, George, but she took no heed of them. The white wispy dress she wore billowed behind her in the breeze. It was tied with a red sash. The outfit had appeared in her closet earlier that evening and she had been compelled to put it on. Porto waved his wand and her hair rearranged itself. It was pulled back away from her face by ivy vines. The vines and her hair cascaded down her back. She would have looked beautiful if it hadn't been for her empty stare.

She reached the ritual site. It looked just as Voldemort had described it. She headed for the cauldron and climbed onto the altar that was over it. The altar was made of white marble. It formed a bridge over the cauldron that was wide and long. Lana placed the book on the end of the altar that jutted past the cauldron's edge. She opened the book and Voldemort appeared laughing riotously.

"It is almost time! You have done well, my pet. Now sleep!"

She lay down on her back with her head nearest the book and was unconscious in a second. Voldemort stared at her greedily. Soon she would be a part of him permanently. He heard a commotion in the woods. It sounded like there was a fight going on. It seemed that Severus had joined them for the party.

* * *

Severus, Maura, and Grant hid behind some trees, eyeing the group of researches who stood in a line, wands drawn. They seemed like they had been standing like that for some time. Knave popped up on Severus shoulder and told them there were fifteen of them, all on this side of the cauldron. They decided that Maura and Grant would charge against the fighters while Severus sent stunning spells at as many as he could. He would then sneak around to the other side of the ritual site and destroy the book.

The plan worked well, with Severus able to stun almost half of the enemy before heading off for the cauldron. As the battle went on he found himself behind a tree, assessing the ritual site. Claudio sat to his left at the head of the cauldron, his wand drawn. There was an altar over the cauldron and Lana lay prone upon it. She seemed to be unconscious. At her head the green ghostlike apparition of Voldemort hovered, his head facing the fighting on the other side. Severus raised his wand and stunned Claudio, who fell to the earth with a thud. Voldemort's head snapped around and he yelled, "Arise and bind," to Lana.

She immediately sat up and extended her wand toward Severus as he ran toward the cauldron. Instead of stunning her, he hesitated for a second.

"_Incarcerous_!" Lana shouted and Severus was bound in ropes. Cursing himself, he struggled ineffectively to wriggle free.

Voldemort laughed at him. "Now that was too easy Severus. You usually don't let your mind wander like that. I should have had her finish you off, but that would have been rather boring."

"Let her go Voldemort. Use me instead!"

"Well, I would, but you see, you're neither pregnant, nor a woman. Besides, I so enjoy the company of your wife."

He floated down so his head was even with hers. She looked at him and his lips were on hers. He violated her mouth with his tongue. He made sure that the kiss was very long and hard.

Inside her subconscious Lana screamed in disgust. She could feel his burning kiss, even though she was not fully present in her body. His touch made her skin crawl. She felt herself turn and look at Severus and knew she had an evil grin on her face. She was going to try to wipe it off, but then she noticed Severus' face. It was filled with pain. No, he couldn't think that she enjoyed that! He must know she had no choice. She watched as his face contorted in misery and he looked down avoiding her glare. How could he think that of her? She needed to set him straight. She concentrated with all of her might on Severus' mind.

Severus' heart constricted as he watched the kiss. He knew Voldemort was goading him with it, but he couldn't help feel the utmost despair. She seemed to be enjoying herself. Then when she turned and grinned at him maniacally, he knew she was lost to him. He lowered his eyes; he couldn't look at her any more.

Suddenly there was a voice in his head. _No! I love you, Severus. Don't give up on me yet!_

His head snapped up and he regarded his wife. She was now laughing at him. Her head tilted back in an ugly guffaw. His eyes narrowed at her.

_It's not me! He's doing this, Severus, it's not me!_

"Enough of playtime!" Voldemort demanded. "It is time for you to destroy your husband, Lana. Kill him!"

Severus' eyes grew wide as he saw Lana slowly raise her wand and point it at him. She hesitated.

"I said kill him," Voldemort hissed.

_No! I will not kill my husband! I will not! _screamed Lana internally and tried with all her might to break the bonds around her hands and take some control of her body.

She continued to hesitate. Voldemort grew angry.

"Remember who is in control here, Lana. Kill Severus!"

She started to say the curse, "_A-A-Ava_," and then slammed her mouth shut.

Severus marveled at the inner battle going on within his wife and prayed she could hold out a bit longer.

"You are in my control," snapped Voldemort.

"I am in y-your control," she repeated.

"You will do as I say," he crooned.

"I will do as you say," she said dumbly.

"Kill Severus!"

She flicked her wand and blandly said, "_Avada Ke_…" and stopped again. Her mouth clamping shut. Severus almost laughed out loud.

Voldemort was livid now. "You will do as I say!"

"I-I will d-do as you s-say."

"You will kill your husband!"

"I will k-kill my h-husband."

"You hate him!"

Her eyebrows knit together. "I…I…I…hate…h-hate…you!" She turned and pointed her wand at Voldemort.

At that point several things happened at once. Voldemort screamed in rage and Lana dropped the wand entirely. Grant arrived on the scene and yelled "_Stupify_," aiming at Lana. She became lax and fell off the altar onto the ground. Grant then turned to Severus and cried, "_Relashio_!" releasing him from the ropes.

In an instant Severus was kneeling next to Lana. She was unconscious but didn't seem hurt. He hoped the baby was all right and the fall hadn't injured either of them. He stood and raced to the book. Voldemort screamed at him as he reached the book and slammed it shut. Below Grant had been joined by Maura and they were fighting off the remaining few researchers.

Severus removed the stake and mallet and placed the point of the stake directly over the center of the diamond. As he rose his other arm with the mallet a window appeared in the cover of the book. Voldemort's face stared at him, grinning.

"You'll never be enough for her, you know. She will be mine forever!"

The same picture of Voldemort and Lana wrapped in an embrace appeared. This time he could feel a spell try to take over his mind. He had been prepared for that. Severus glared at the image of his wife and the snakelike ghost before addressing Voldemort.

"You have miscalculated, Voldemort. This scene does not affect me in the least. If anything it makes me want to kill you even more!"

He slammed the hammer into the stake and pounded it through the diamond. He heard Voldemort scream "Nooo!" before the entire book exploded throwing him off the altar in a heap next to Lana. He sat up groggily and shook his head to clear it. Finally able to stand, he looked over to where the book had been. Nothing remained but a wisp of smoke. Glancing over at Grant, he noticed the remaining researches looking around absently, trying to figure out what was going on. Grant walked over to him and shook his hand.

"Good fighting, ol' chap!" he congratulated. Then his smile disappeared as he stared over Severus' shoulder.

Severus turned to see the smoke glowing green and growing. It formed into Voldemort again. The apparition started laughing hysterically.

"The great thing about this vampire magic is that if the book is destroyed, my spirit remains!" He glared at Severus. "Now I can possess her body completely!" The spirit darted towards Lana's unconscious form. Severus drew his wand and sent spell after spell after him, but they just went through the transparent form.

Voldemort reached Lana's body and enveloped it. An aura of green light surrounded her for a minute and then her body jumped, as if shocked. She opened her eyes and sat up. Severus grimaced. Her eyes glowed green.

"What's the matter Severus, don't you like my new eye color?" she said in Voldemort's voice.

His insides turned. Lana was gone. Voldemort now had complete control over her. He knew he could do only one thing. He must kill his wife to destroy Voldemort. He would have to deal with the insurmountable grief later if he was going to finish this. He raised his wand and was about to mutter the curse when Voldemort and his wife started to scream.

"No! I control this body! Don't touch me! No! Get away from me!" Lana was screaming in Voldemort's voice. Meanwhile she was grabbing at herself, trying to tear her dress off.

Severus could only watch in puzzlement. She fell back onto the ground and started writhing, all the time screaming in a voice not her own. Suddenly a line of green smoke rose from her body. She stopped moving as it hovered over her. After a moment the smoke blew away into nothingness. Grant and Severus looked at each other quizzically before racing to Lana's side. Could it possibly be over?

Severus put his hand on Lana's shoulder and gently shook her. Her eyes popped open and she looked at Severus, not really seeing him. She weakly reached up and started to beat at his chest.

"No! I won't kill my husband, you freak. I won't do it! Do you understand me?" she cried while trying to hit Severus.

He grasped her arms and held them tightly. "Lana, it's me! It's over, you're okay."

Recognition slowly came into her eyes and she gasped with relief. He scooped her into his arms and held her close. She hugged him furiously.

"I couldn't do it," she mumbled into his coat.

He stroked her hair. "I know."

She felt like she was going to pass out again. Pulling away from him, she managed to mumble, "The baby…"

Severus put his hand on her stomach. "He's fine," he assured her.

"He saved me," she mumbled as she lost consciousness.

Severus looked curiously at Grant. Grant just shrugged his shoulders. They would have to wait to unravel this mystery. Severus picked up Lana gently, kissing her forehead as he did. He set off for the campsite.

* * *

_A/N: Now that the final final battle is finally finalized, will these two have some peace? Umm, probably not, but things couldn't get worse, right? Only time and future chapters will tell. Thanks for reading and please review._


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Lana opened her eyes and looked around. She was on her bed in her tent. She blinked and moved her hands and legs, wiggling her fingers and toes. She felt whole again for the first time in a long time. She continued surveying her surroundings. She found Severus on a chair next to the bed, his hands together and his eyes closed. She couldn't tell if he was asleep or just meditating.

"Severus," she said weakly.

Severus opened his eyes and looked gratefully at his wife. He rose and sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand in his.

"Are you all right?" he asked with concern.

She felt a flood of emotions about to overtake her. "Hold me," she begged Severus.

He lay down beside her and swept her into his arms. She buried her head in his chest and began to sob huge sobs. He hugged her tighter as her whole body was wracked with grief. He kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair, letting her cry as she needed to.

After a while he whispered to her, "Shh, its okay. It's over. He's gone."

"Severus, he made me do horrible things!" she said between sobs.

He rubbed her back. "What kind of horrible things?"

"I tried to kill Knave, and you, I helped him ensnare the whole camp, and, and I kissed him." She hid her face more in his chest.

He hugged her protectively. "He violated you Lana, you have nothing to regret. You weren't in control of your actions."

"I hurt you!"

He pulled her away from him and cradled her face in his hands. "Lana, he hypnotized you with those kisses. That was his way to control you. It wasn't your fault. Please stop doing this to yourself, it wasn't your fault."

She looked at him searchingly. He was telling her the truth. He didn't hate her for what she had done, and the misery she had seen in the forest was gone from his face. She was finally able to stop crying.

Releasing her face he propped himself up on one arm and asked, "You said something about the baby saving you before you passed out."

She nodded. "I don't know what he did, but Voldemort didn't like it. Whatever it was, it destroyed Voldemort's spirit. Your son is already a strong wizard, Severus." She rubbed her tummy absent mindedly.

"Son?" he asked in surprise. "You could tell it was a boy?"

"Yes, he's a boy all right." She smiled at Severus. He looked ecstatic.

"He seemed very protective of me this whole time," she continued. "He would talk to me while I was trying to escape, encouraging me that I could do it." A tear streaked down her cheek. "He's amazing, just like you. He kept me from going insane, I think."

She sat up and hugged her legs. "I can't tell you how awful a feeling that was, not having any control over my actions," she remarked.

"I thought you handled yourself remarkably," he countered.

She shot him a nasty look. "Oh yes, trying to kill your husband is really handling oneself well, isn't it?" she snapped.

Severus sat up so he was eye level with her. "Lana, do you know what I saw in the woods? Do you know what I heard? I saw a woman determined to fight against the greatest evil our world has ever known. I heard her in my head assuring me that she was still fighting and that she loved me. I saw her determination to overcome magic put upon her by one of the most powerful wizards of our age. And I saw her succeed better than anyone else I know could have."

She pondered him for a moment, mulling over his words. "I wouldn't be able to go on living if I had hurt you."

"That's the amazing part, the fact that you didn't hurt me. You fought him off and won. Even after being married for this long, you still never cease to amaze me."

She looked at him gratefully. "I can't tell you how much I love you," she told him.

He drew her close. "I love you more than anything, Lana. The thought of losing you made me almost go mad."

He bent to kiss her softly. As his lips brushed against hers, he felt her stiffen. He drew away and studied her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he said.

"It's him. For a minute it was as if he was kissing me!" She looked away, ashamed. "I'm the one who should be sorry."

"Lana, don't say that. He hurt you. Take all the time you need. I would never want to cause you pain, you know that. When you feel comfortable, I'll be happy to kiss you again."

The difference between his and Voldemort's vile advances emblazoned themselves in her mind. She was being foolish. She loved this man, how could she turn him away? She took his hand in hers.

"Thank you for understanding, but I'm not going to let Voldemort control me anymore. You're an amazing man and I don't deserve you. Please don't let my hesitancy make you think that I don't love you," she begged.

He cupped her face in his other hand. "I know you love me. I just don't want you to do something you're not ready for. Are you sure?" he asked her tentatively.

"I need you to kiss me, now," she commanded.

Filled with love for her, he pulled her close and placed his lips on hers. Lana braced herself, but only felt his love and didn't jerk away. He began to kiss her in a way he never had before. His insides tumbled at her closeness and she responded in kind. Suddenly a lightning bolt went through her. This was better than even their first kiss. As she buried herself in him, she felt the horrid memories of Voldemort wane and become cloudy. Their arms were around each other and they pressed against each other gently.

The kiss ended and Lana stared into Severus' dark eyes. "That was amazing. What did you do to me? My memories of Voldemort aren't as sharp. It feels like they happened a long time ago."

"You're the miraculous one in this relationship, maybe you did it yourself," he countered.

She smiled a little. "No, I didn't do anything. You did it, what happened?"

He pulled her back against the headboard and laid his arm around her shoulder. "I didn't do anything," he argued.

"Then why do my memories seem so far away?" she asked him. She looked up at him and saw a pained look on his face. He seemed to be reliving something horrible. He noticed her and made his face blank again. He hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. It was terrible," he consoled her.

Severus, if you don't tell me exactly what you did to me, I'll hex you into next week!"

He glanced down at her, knowing she would not give up until she had the truth. She was just too clever for her own good. He heaved a great sigh.

"Lana, I used a form of _Legilimency_ on you. It's a way of absorbing someone's painful memories so that the pain is reduced in half. I basically took a part of each memory into my own mind so they wouldn't be so strong in your memory."

She sat up angrily. "No! You can't do that! You didn't even ask me. I don't want anyone to have to suffer the same things I did. Give them back, Severus. I won't let you do this to yourself; you have enough painful memories to deal with."

He gave her a small smile. "I can't give them back, Lana. They're a part of me now. If it makes you feel better, I'm not acting as you in the memories. It's like I'm more of an observer."

She stared at her hands and was quiet for a few minutes. She looked back at him and barely whispered, "Why did you do that?"

He looked directly into her eyes. "When you're in pain, I'm in pain. I knew a way to lessen that pain for you and I used it. I would much rather share in your grief than wonder what had happened and not be able to do anything about it." His eyes were filled with emotion, but his voice was matter of fact. He went on, "You are the bravest woman I have ever known."

"I don't feel very brave at the moment," she said bowing her head. After a few minutes of silence between the two of them she muttered, "Thank you for doing that for me. I really am very grateful. I feel so much better." She looked up at him with a tentative smile. "You're the bravest man I know, and I love you."

He bent low, looking her in the eye. "So, you're not going to curse me or anything?" he asked.

She smirked at that. "I will if you continue to do stuff without asking me!"

"It was for your own good."

"Don't even begin to presume what's good for me, Severus Snape," she retorted.

"Oh, I wouldn't presume anything. Just keep wallowing in your pain. No harm done." He turned and looked off, pretending to be offended.

Just then the bell outside the tent rang. Severus rose to see who it was. He returned a moment later followed by Claudio who looked like he hadn't slept in a week. Of course, he probably hadn't.

"Lana, are you all right?" he asked, rushing to the bed.

Severus scowled at him. "Of course she's not all right, you almost killed her!"

Claudio looked at Lana and ignored Severus. "I'm sorry. I think I'll have nightmares for the rest of my life about all of this."

Lana gave him a quick smile. "It's not your fault Claudio. It was Voldemort who did all of this." Changing the subject she asked, "Are you going to continue the excavation?"

"I think I'll turn it over to Grant to finish. He's one of the only one's who wasn't hypnotized during this mess. He can get up his own team. Anyone who was involved in this fiasco probably wants to get as far away as they can from it."

She nodded in agreement.

"When can you leave? Did you get hurt in the woods?" Claudio asked.

"No, I think I'm fine." She glanced at Severus. "We can probably leave whenever we need to. Severus will need to borrow someone's broom though."

"You can have mine." Claudio said to Severus. "Just think of it as a little thank you for saving all of our lives."

Severus nodded his head. "Then let's get out of here," he said to Lana.

"Right now?" Lana asked incredulously.

"No time like the present. It is morning and we'll be able to get a good ways away from here."

"What about packing everything? What about Knave?" she retorted.

Knave appeared on her lap at the mention of his name.

_Glad to see you're feeling better, Lana. It's good to see you back to your old self. __By the way, thanks for not killing me the other day! Don't worry about me. I'll just be waiting for you at Hogwarts. _He disappeared.

She looked curiously at the spot where he had just been and then looked back at Severus.

"He's had a rough go of it. He probably just wants to leave all of this unpleasantness behind him. Now, for our things." he said. He went to the closet and pulled out their backpacks and started shrinking things into it.

Claudio gave Lana a hug goodbye, and left the room. She hardly noticed him.

"We're just leaving?" she asked. "Why are you in such a hurry? I thought everything was over."

"It is. I just don't want to be around in case some Death Eaters show up. Besides, you need to get back to Hogwarts and rest."

"How would they know anything about this?" she asked him.

"During the battle my scar began to burn. It's disappeared again, but it began to come back."

"How would they know where to come without the Dark Mark being fully back?"

"They just know," replied Severus.

"All right then," she said, rising from the bed. "Let's get going." She helped him shrink the rest of their things, and then they exited the tent and shrunk it too.

Claudio came up with his broom, followed by their other four friends. They all said their good byes and Lana and Severus set off on their brooms.

The travel was slow going. Lana's extra size made broom travel very uncomfortable and she needed to stop and take many rests. They decided to make camp early. Severus set up the tent and Lana went in to lie down, while Severus set up wards so they wouldn't be detected.

He came into the tent and she was lying on the couch.

"Severus, is there something you're not telling me? You seem to be taking a lot of precautions, especially since we're in the middle of nowhere."

He came over and sat on the edge of the couch near her feet. "I don't know anything, Lana. I just have a bad feeling. The last time I ignored a bad feeling, you got possessed by Voldemort."

She chuckled. "Well then, we'd better not ignore any more of those feelings, huh?"

He grinned at her. "I'll get started on some dinner. Any cravings?" he asked.

"Sorry, I still don't want pickles and ice cream, although some tomato juice sounds really good," she said, almost to herself.

"We don't have any tomato juice. I'm sorry; you'll have to settle for pumpkin juice."

She frowned. "No, that sounds yucky right now. I'll just have some water."

Severus returned a minute later with some ice water. Kissing her on the forehead, he went back to the kitchen area and started preparing something. After a little while he popped a pan into the oven and came back and sat by Lana's feet.

"That will be ready in a little while," he told her.

"What are you making?" she queried.

"Roasted chicken breasts with potatoes," he replied.

"That sounds good." She picked up her book and began to read. Feeling dismissed, Severus went over to the chair and opened his own book. They were both grumpy from the long trip, he supposed.

When dinner was done, they ate in silence. He cleaned up the mess and Lana returned to the couch. Her book was open, but she was staring off into space. When he was done, he sat next to her on the couch and put his arm around her. She shrugged it off.

"Have I done something to upset you?" Severus asked.

Lana leaned forward and put her head in her hands. "No, of course you didn't. I don't know what's wrong with me. All of a sudden, I just feel angry at everything. Do you think this is some kind of after effect from the possession?"

He studied her for a moment. "I honestly don't know. Maybe you just need some rest. Should we turn in early?"

She looked at him and wanted to say something hurtful. She bit her tongue and replied, "Yes, let's just go to bed." She rose and stalked into the bedroom. Severus stared after her wondering what was going on. After a moment he rose and followed her.

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_A/N: Thanks for your kind reviews. I always love to hear from you and I'll always write back._


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

It had taken several more days to get back to Hogwarts. Lana's condition had slowed them down a bit and that seemed to affect her mood. To be honest, everything was affecting her mood. Instead of her usual good humor, her attitude just got worse. She had to control herself to not bite Severus' head off and he had retreated into himself and wasn't really even interacting with her anymore.

When they reached their apartment, she stalked to the bedroom and slammed the door. Severus only watched her in confusion. He decided to go find Minerva. She was in his office, as he had suspected. He entered the room and gave her a curt nod.

"Oh thank heaven you're back! Knave came and told me everything a couple of days ago. Thank you for sending him. I couldn't sleep before he came to tell me everything was all right. How's Lana?"

Severus had sat while she spoke. He leveled a cross glance at her. "She's abominable. Her health is fine and she wasn't hurt in the attack, but she has turned into a beast!"

"Whatever do you mean?" Minerva asked.

"She won't talk and when she does, she bites my head off," he griped.

"What did you do to her?" Minerva queried slyly.

"I didn't do anything. If you ask her, she'll tell you the same thing. She doesn't even know why she's so cross. I'm about to strangle her!" He got up and started to pace.

"Is this some after effect from Voldemort, do you think?"

"I have no idea. There's no other explanation, so I'm leaning toward that being the cause. But even if it is, I don't know what to do to reverse the effect." He continued pacing.

"Severus, sit down! You're giving me a headache!" She glared at him as he settled himself in once again with a huff. Minerva continued, "You said you consulted a vampire for the stake potion, right?"

"Yes." Severus answered grumpily.

"Well, why don't you take her to the vampire? If this has something to do with the possession, he might know. He also might know how to remedy it."

He stared at her for a moment. "That's a good idea. Why didn't I think of that?" There was no sarcasm in his voice; he was truly at a loss as to why he hadn't remembered Sanguini.

"Haven't you had enough on your mind? Give yourself a break, you can't think of everything!" She gave him a quick smile.

He rose to leave. "Thank you Minerva. I appreciate your advice, and also you covering my position while I was away."

"It was no problem. I'll stick around while you clear this mess up, if you want me to," she offered.

"You probably ought to," he said angrily as he spun and left the room.

* * *

When he returned to their apartment it was the same as when he'd left. She was still holed up in the bedroom. He knocked on the door before swinging it open. His eyebrows knit together. She was kneeling at the side of the bed fiddling with her hair. She stared off into space and twirled her long dark hair between her fingers. She would release it and then pick up almost the same piece and begin to twirl it again.

"Lana, I would like you to go somewhere with me," he said in a demanding tone.

She glowered at him. "Leave me alone Severus, can't you see I'm busy?"

Raising an eyebrow he replied, "You call playing with your hair being busy?"

She stood up. Rage shone in her eyes. "Why don't you just leave me alone? You're always buzzing around me like a nervous bee. I'm fine! I don't need you to hover over me like I'm an invalid. Is that clear?" She saw the hurt in his eyes, but didn't care.

"As you wish," he said and retreated out of the bedroom. Closing the door behind him, he flopped onto the couch. He folded his arms and let his fury rage through him. What was wrong with that woman? She had never spoken to him like that. He sat lost in thought, his back to the bedroom. He didn't notice her open the door quietly and approach him. Neither did he notice her raise a dagger in her hand, ready to stab him. But his hackles raised and within him he knew he was in danger. He jumped up and spun around just as she was about to stab him in the back. Drawing out his wand he yelled _"Stupify!" _She crumpled to the floor. He studied her worriedly. There must be something the vampire could tell him about this strange condition.

"_Mobilicorpus,"_ he chanted and Lana began to float. They left the apartment and proceeded to the headmaster's office. The office was empty. He released her from the spell and gathered her up in his arms. Luckily he had connected Sanguini's fireplace to the floo network when they had first met, in case he had an urgent question about the stake potion. Concentrating on the vampire's home, Severus picked up Lana and entered the fireplace. He dropped the floo powder, chanting "Sanguini's."

They appeared in the vampire's fireplace and Severus came out and yelled Sanguini's name. After a few minutes, the vampire came down the staircase and regarded him questioningly.

"I need your help again," demanded Severus.

"Is this the woman you spoke of?" Sanguini questioned.

"Yes." He walked over to a couch and placed her onto it.

"I see your plan must have worked?"

"Yes, I am indebted to you for your help." He raised himself up and looked at the vampire.

"So why are you here?" Sanguini asked.

Severus motioned to his wife. "There is something wrong with her. Ever since I destroyed Voldemort she has been slowly getting angrier and angrier. She is impossible to talk to and she tried to stab me a few minutes ago. Do you have any idea what is wrong with her?"

Sanguini went up to Lana and looked at her curiously. "Can you lift the stupefying spell? I'll need to talk to her. This usually happens when a subject isn't joined to their Vampire Lord as planned."

"They turn into insufferable ogres?" Severus huffed.

"That's not the whole of it. Lift the spell, please."

Severus reversed the spell and Lana sat up on the couch her eyes wide. They settled on Sanguini and she gave him a toothy grin. She had vampire teeth. She jumped up and hugged Sanguini. He looked at Severus nervously and untangled himself from her arms. He straightened up and turned to Severus.

"Um, it seems that she's turning into a vampire without having been bitten." Sanguini said tentatively.

Severus' head was about to explode. How many more surprises were going to come along? He had had enough of vampires and castles and books and _Voldemort_! His fists clenched and his body went rigid. "So what do we do about that now?" he spat.

Sanguini regarded Lana. "Well, I could use a mate," he replied.

Severus walked over and punched him in the face. The vampire doubled over cradling his cheek in his hand. He slowly sunk to his knees.

"That was uncalled for!" Lana cried and rushed over to Sanguini while glaring at Severus. "Are you all right?" she asked Sanguini. Then she saw a trickle of blood coming from the skin Severus had managed to break open. She put her finger out and wiped some on it. She sucked the blood off of her finger and smiled hungrily.

Severus watched in disgust as she took her tongue and licked his wound clean. He withdrew his wand and said _"Stupify," _and Lana fell to the floor again.

He reached a hand out to help up Sanguini. "She is _my_ wife and you will keep your paws off of her. Now how do we reverse this…abomination?"

Sanguini regarded him with narrowed eyes. "It is not an abomination! You have insulted my entire line! I have tried to help you, and this is the thanks I get? I will have nothing more to do with you. Leave my home!"

Severus took him by the throat and dug his wand into the wound on his face. "I'm not fooling around, here. I punched you because you made a pass at my wife. I need your help, but I'm not adverse to imperiousing you to get your cooperation. Now how do we counteract this spell?"

Sanguini shrunk back a little. "I know what to do, but you must release me first."

Severus reluctantly let the vampire go. He went to his cabinet and got two vials out. He mixed them into a glass and handed it to Severus. "Give her this," he told him.

Severus looked at the concoction. "What is it and what will it do?"

"It is vampire's blood and Hawthorn's sap with a touch of lemon." Seeing Severus' curious stare he added, "The lemon makes the sap easier to flow and it tastes better. This will completely reverse anything that has been affecting her since you destroyed Voldemort. The Hawthorn is strong enough to destroy the vampire within her without killing her. She should return to normal by morning. She will be unconscious after you administer the potion."

"Shouldn't you give it to her? She seems to like you better right now." Severus asked tartly.

"It must be given by the person who destroyed the vampire possessing the book, or in this case Voldemort. The vampire transformation spell is added to the Book of Rebirth as a failsafe in case the original vampire is destroyed. It helps to preserve the family. In this case, I think it best to let this family die out. Who knows if Voldemort has done anything else to them to try to resurrect himself."

Severus hesitated a moment. Sanguini went on, "You need to give it to her now. The longer you wait, the longer the reversal process will be and the more pain she will be in. As I said before, she won't gain consciousness until at least tomorrow morning."

"How painful _is_ this process?" Severus asked.

"I am not sure. No one has ever used this remedy before. There has never been a need. Just give her the potion."

Severus removed the stupefy spell once again and went over to Lana as she sat up on the floor.

"Drink this, it will make you feel better," he told her.

She eyed him suspiciously and glanced at Sanguini. He nodded his approval and she smiled at him. She then took the glass and drained it. Her eyes grew wide and she squeezed the glass so tight that it shattered, cutting her hand. She fell back, unconscious and unaware of her injury.

Severus healed her hand and then looked up at Sanguini. He frowned. "I'm sorry I punched you. Would you like me to heal that before I leave?"

"Please," was all that Sanguini would say.

Severus stood and within seconds the cut and bruise had faded away to nothing. Sanguini gave him a cold stare.

"I only did this to assure that Voldemort never had the opportunity to come back. As the head of this household, she rightfully belongs to me, whether she is your wife or not."

Severus drew his wand and pointed it at Sanguini.

"However," Sanguini continued as if nothing had happened. "I relinquish my hold on her. Her freedom is returned to her."

Severus lowered his wand and regarded the vampire. "Thank you for your help," he muttered. He stooped and picked Lana up and headed back to the fireplace.

"Remember Professor Snape, you owe me. I do intend to collect some day."

"Mmph," was all that Severus said as he entered the fireplace and threw down the floo powder. He disappeared while Sanguini frowned at him. As soon as he was back in the office, he set off for their apartment to settle Lana back into her bed.

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_A/N: Will the potion work? Tune in next time. Oh and review too!_


	19. Chapter 19

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Chapter 19**

Severus lay next to her on the bed, impatiently waiting for her to regain consciousness. She had writhed throughout the night, but had never awakened. He had felt completely at a loss to help her in any way. He had held her while she convulsed, but could do nothing to make her more comfortable. She now lay very still, breathing shallowly. He had slept fitfully next to her and now it was morning and he was eyeing her, hoping that when she awoke, she would be the woman he had married, not the screaming banshee that had taken her place over the past couple of days.

He looked longingly at Lana. He couldn't contain the love he felt for her. She was witty, intelligent, and beautiful. She had helped him to understand there was more to life than just work. They had been married for almost two years now, and he had only grown to love her more. He winced. How could he go on if Lana never returned to him?

_The vampire said this potion would work, _he told himself. His heart skipped a beat. _What if it doesn't work? _She would remain a vampire. She would leave him for Sanguini and he would never see her again. He couldn't imagine his life without her. And then there was the child. What would happen with his son?

_Stop!_ he told himself. _Let the potion work and go from there. Quit jumping to conclusions!_

He continued watching her, willing her to wake up. She remained motionless, breathing gently. He decided to poke her. He took his finger and poked her midsection. As he looked on, her stomach shifted until a little knob was on the side of it. He smiled and poked at his son. They started their game of poke/push and played for a while until he saw Lana stir. He whipped his head around to look at her.

Her eyes were open and she looked over at him. She flashed him a huge smile. (No pointy teeth.) Reaching over to massage his neck she said, "Hey, handsome. How did I get so lucky to wake up next to you?"

A flood of relief swept over him and tears welled up in his eyes. He embraced her in a huge hug. After what seemed like hours, he finally separated from her. He bowed his head so she wouldn't see the tears still in his eyes, but she was too quick for him. She looked at him, puzzled.

"Are you crying?" she asked dubiously.

He mumbled something incoherent.

"I know I've been a bear these past couple of days, but I didn't expect you to burst into tears the minute I woke up this morning! I'm sorry I was mean to you, okay?" She was half giggling as she said it.

He finally looked at her after quickly wiping the tears from his eyes. "Do you remember anything that happened these past couple of days?"

She looked at him curiously. "Of course, we spent it all traveling across Europe. It was the longest trip and most tiresome journey I've ever taken. It made me awfully grumpy. I guess I just needed a good night's sleep in my own bed." She shrugged.

He arched an eyebrow at her. "That's all you remember?"

She thought about it. "Well, I had this really strange dream last night." She started to giggle. "You won't believe this, Severus, but somehow I had turned into a vampire and was hitting on this other vampire. He was really ugly too!" She chuckled and looked over at him. He was deathly serious. Her eyebrows knit together. "Don't tell me you're jealous of a stupid dream?"

He just shook his head and she became very suspicious. She gasped. "That wasn't a dream was it? Eeew! I was actually flirting with that _creep_?"

"I find it strange that you almost turned into a vampire last night and the only thing you're fixated on is that you flirted with Dr. Bloodlust himself!"

Her eyes grew wide as she remembered more of the "dream." She looked at him with wide eyes. "I tried to stab you last night! What happened?"

"You didn't succeed," he said frankly.

"No, I mean, why was I turning into a vampire?" she asked in frustration.

"Sanguini explained that it was a remnant of the spell you were under with Voldemort. A safety, so to speak, in case the vampire controlling the book was destroyed. It helps to ensure the continuation of the vampire family and all that." He rolled his eyes.

She stared straight ahead and just nodded her head. He went on. "Sanguini gave me the antidote. It knocked you out all night, but you seem to finally be yourself again." He smiled genuinely at her. Finally she was back with him.

"Severus, I'm sorry I keep trying to kill you." Her voice was small and weak sounding. "Do you want me to leave? I obviously can't be trusted."

He stared at her in shock, and then he began to laugh. "Of course I don't want you to leave. Who would keep me on my toes if you weren't hunting me down every minute?"

She punched him lightly on the chest and frowned. "I'm being serious! Who knows what I'll try to do next time."

He put on his most stern teacher's voice. "Stop jumping to conclusions, Svetlana. You will be fine. Voldemort is gone and the residual spell has been cast off."

She looked at him tentatively. "Yes, Headmaster, whatever you say."

"Lana, stop worrying about everything. It's not good for you, or the baby."

With that her stomach gave a giant lurch. They stared down in amazement as the baby seemed to do a huge summersault.

Severus nodded his head. "You see, even he agrees with me." He patted her tummy. "Thank you, son, for backing me up," he said into her stomach.

Lana gave a little giggle. "Well, okay, I'll drop it, but if you wind up dead on the floor tomorrow, don't blame me!"

"If you kill me I'll haunt you for the rest of your life. It's only fair after all that you've put me through this past month!"

"Oh, you would do that for me? How sweet!" she laughed.

"Yes, I would want you to forever remember that I am a prat…even in death!"

They both burst out into fits of laughter.

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_A/N: Thanks for your reviews._


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N: And now for some well needed relaxation and fluff. Thanks to all who review. You make me happy._

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**Chapter 20**

Lana awoke and looked over to find Severus. He wasn't in the bed, but there was a note on his pillow.

_My Love,_

_I needed to go down to the kitchens to oversee the preparations for the banquet. I will need to prepare a food order for anything not accounted for. I will return shortly. Feel free to go back to sleep. Happy Anniversary. _

_Love,_

_Severus_

She smiled to herself. She couldn't believe they had been married for two years already. She thought back to their wedding and how handsome Severus had looked with his black dress robes. A chill still went up her spine when she remembered him whispering _I love you_ into her ear that day before they said their vows.

She couldn't imagine herself being happier. She found she loved him even more now than when they were wed, if that was even imaginable.

She hoped he would like his present. She lifted it out of her bedside table drawer. The box wasn't incredibly large. It was wrapped in bright green paper with a huge green bow in the center. She smiled to herself. It wasn't exactly the kind of gift one would expect for an anniversary, but she hoped he liked it.

She rose and got dressed. She wanted to look extra special today, so she curled her hair. It fell in long twists. She took two silver barrettes and clasped her hair back on both sides. Satisfied with her hair she donned the silver necklace Severus had given her the Christmas before they were married. She searched through her jewelry and found some earrings to match. She frowned a bit. They weren't exactly like the necklace, but they were the best she could do.

She went to the closet and searched her wardrobe. She didn't want to be overdressed, but she wanted to be a little more than casual. She found a dark red dress that was perfect and slipped it on. Spraying herself with perfume, she looked up as Severus came in through the door.

He smiled and looked at her appreciatively. He crossed the room and encircled her from behind. "I thought you'd still be sleeping."

She turned and hugged him. "I've only been up a few minutes," she smiled to him.

"And yet you look stunning as always," he flattered.

They kissed and then Lana said, "Happy anniversary! Your present is on the bed."

He ignored it for a minute. "And here I thought you were my present, all wrapped up in red."

She giggled. "That's for later. Open your present. I want to see if you like it."

He chuckled and went over to the bed. Picking up the gift, he shook it by his ear.

"It's a book," he said matter of factly.

She growled at him. He had a knack of being able to see through boxes and guess what was inside of them. "Just open it!" she retorted while sitting next to him.

He ripped the paper open and stared at the contents. It was indeed a book. It had a yellow cover and the title was _How to be a Great Father._ He glanced up at her. "See, you're worried about my parenting abilities just as much as I," he said disheartened.

"No I'm not. Read the book."

"I'm not going to spend our whole anniversary with my nose in a book!"

"Just open it and read it!" she growled.

He took the book out of the box and opened to the first page. It read "Love your child." _Easy enough_, he thought. He flipped to the next page. It read the same thing. He went to the next. The same three words were there. He flipped through the pages. All of them held the same three words. "Love your child." He looked curiously at Lana.

She grasped his hand. "All you need to do is remember these three little words and you'll be a spectacular father." She smiled at him. "This book also works as a journal. Here let me show you."

She motioned for the book and he passed it over to her. She opened to the second page. "You can add anything to the page that you would like, simply by speaking the words into the book." She held the book close to her face and spoke, "Love your child, even when he's screaming all night long." She pulled her head back and showed Severus the book as her words were inscribed into the page. It even had the date written at the top. "You can write as much or as little as you want," she continued.

Severus took the book from her and thumbed through the pages again. The enormity of her gift sunk into him. He could record all of his thoughts about his child right here in this book. He looked up at her gratefully and hugged her close. "Thank you, my love. It is a wonderful gift. I may just start recording feelings before the little tyke makes his appearance."

"I hoped you would."

He got an excited look in his eye and jumped up to get his present for her. She watched him amusedly as he went into the living room and pulled a book from the book shelf. He reached behind it and pulled out a small box. He returned to the bed and held out the gift. It was wrapped in silver paper with a small red bow in the center. She took it with a smile on her face and began to unwrap it. Opening the box, her eyes grew wide when she saw the contents. Inside lay the most beautiful set of earrings she had ever seen. They matched her necklace exactly. They were made up of a few inches of the same chain as the necklace. The earring had two chains hanging down, one longer than the other. On the bottom of each strand shimmered a beautiful blue sapphire. She squealed and threw her arms around Severus. "They're gorgeous! I was just thinking this morning how I would love to have some earrings that matched this necklace better!"

She raced to the mirror and put them on. She turned to show Severus, who smiled his approval and joined her at the mirror. "I've never seen them look so lovely," he said as he nuzzled her neck.

"You're so good to me!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him and kissing him.

"I'll give you jewelry every day if I can get that same reaction out of you!" Severus said smiling. "That's the baby's birthstone by the way."

Lana glanced in the mirror and regarded the earrings anew. She smiled at him and told him they were perfect.

"We'd better get going; we have a lot to do today," Severus told her.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you ever going to tell me exactly _what _it is that we are going to do today?"

"Well, I can tell you that we're going to Hogsmeade. You'll have to wait until we get there to see."

He always did this to her. He would plan some fantastic getaway and whisk her away without a clue as to what they were doing. She smiled to herself. She loved every minute of it, from their first date to now. It seemed he outdid himself every time. She wondered what he had planned this time. The problem with not being able to apparate would severely limit his options.

"Lana?" Severus queried. She must have missed something.

"Sorry, what did you say?" she asked.

"Are you ready to go?" he repeated.

"Sure!" She placed her hand in his and they were off.

They enjoyed their walk to Hogsmeade, talking, laughing, and cuddling all the way. As they entered the town Severus stopped them and turned to her.

"Are you doing okay? Do you need to rest?"

She huffed at him. "I'm fine!" She turned to continue, but he caught her wrist.

"Come on, Lana, I just don't want you to overexert yourself. You're almost due."

She rolled her eyes. "That doesn't mean I'm an invalid!"

Severus put his arms around her and hugged her. "Look, after all the things we've been through, I would think that you know that I don't consider you an invalid."

"You're such a prat, being so overprotective." She moved in to return his hug.

"All of the time," he teased.

She smiled. "Are you ready to go? You've done enough fawning for one day." She turned and started off, took two steps and fell over. She slammed down on her hands and knees. Severus' eyes widened and he stooped down to assess the situation. Lana slowly sat down on her rear and rubbed her knees, wincing.

"Is it alright if I ask you _now_ if you're okay?" Severus asked sarcastically.

She put her hand up, signaling for him to stop talking. Boy had that hurt! She quickly assessed herself, noting that there was nothing wrong except a scrape on one of her knees. Nonetheless, she was shaken and felt nauseated. Her thoughts turned to the baby. He was fine, but just the added basketball size weight had thrown her body into havoc as she had fallen. She sat there for a few minutes continuing to make sure everything was fine then finally looked at Severus.

"I'm okay." As Severus healed her scrape, she looked back to where she had gone down and noticed a very small dip in the sidewalk. She muttered to herself, "Dumb baby, throwing off my balance." She immediately regretted her words, as Severus sat down beside her and began laughing uproariously. She looked at him crossly. "What's so funny?"

"It's just that a woman who is eight months pregnant is not the epitome of grace." He laughed some more.

Tears of frustration ran down Lana's cheeks. She looked at Severus furiously. "Don't make fun of me! I feel like a giant balloon most of the time, and this just makes me look like a clumsy oaf!"

Severus stopped laughing. He took his hand and wiped the tears from her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." He thought to himself how pregnancy had been one long hormonal battle of ups and downs with her. "I think you're beautiful when you're pregnant. You've never been so lovely to me, and you could never be a clumsy oaf. Maybe you're a little top heavy, but not an oaf." He couldn't help himself with that last statement.

She slapped him across the chest. He looked at her in shock. "Ow! That hurt. I think you've maimed me for life."

She rolled her eyes and tried to stand up. Severus scrambled up and helped her to her feet. Lana tried to remain upset with him, but one look into his dark eyes filled with mirth made her anger disappear. "You're impossible!" she exclaimed and started walking off.

"Ahem, I think you're headed in the wrong direction," Severus said.

She turned and stalked back toward him. "So which way are we going then?" she said as coolly as she could, only it wasn't nearly as strong a response because as soon as she looked at him with his arms crossed she had to repress a giggle. He was trying to look smug, but he just looked like he was going to burst into laughter at any moment too.

He held his arm out to her and she encircled it with hers. "This way, my lady," was all that he said. A little chuckle escaped him as he led her down the street.

They walked on in a comfortable silence for a while. Severus led her down one of the many side streets that jutted off from the main street. After a few minutes they came upon a hotel. The name glowed from a sign on the top of the building: _The Dreamer's Inn._ Under the name in smaller letters was etched: _We can make your dreams come true. (24 hour advanced notice for complicated dreams.)_

Lana looked at Severus curiously. She had never even heard of this place. "Is this a new hotel?" she asked him.

"Oh, yes," he replied in a far away voice as he studied the hotel. "It's only been open for about a month. Didn't you see the write up in the _Daily Prophet?_"

She glanced back at the hotel. "No, I must have missed it."

"Good, then you won't know what to expect." He smiled at her and took her hand, heading toward the entrance.

She raised an eyebrow at him and followed along. They entered the building and headed for the front desk. Severus told the receptionist that they had a reservation and soon they were headed to the third floor with a room key in hand. They got to their room and Severus paused to open the door.

"I would carry you over the threshold, but I don't think my back could stand the strain," he quipped.

"Watch it old man, or I'll give your back something to ache about," Lana snapped.

He paused to look at her. "You're only two years younger than I, so if I'm an old man, what does that make you?"

"I am a princess trapped by your spell, doomed to be by your side for eternity, loving you completely, but having to put up with your acerbic wit and sarcasm." She rolled her eyes and placed her hand against her forehead. "The burden I'm forced to bear!"

He hugged her tightly. "Such torture you must have to go through, such torment! How can you stand it?"

"Oh believe me, it's very difficult," she said in a whiny voice as she put her arms around his neck. "I'm so miserable! The only thing that makes me happy is my lover's kiss."

He obliged her, kissing her softly on the lips.

"You're delicious," he said lustily. "Are you ready to go in?" he asked, motioning to the room.

"After you!"

Severus unlocked the door and swung it open. Lana gasped.


	21. Chapter 21

He opened the door wide and went in. Lana's mouth dropped open at the site. This was no ordinary room. It was a lake, or maybe even part of the ocean. The door opened onto a small dock. There was a speedboat moored at the dock and in the distance was a tropical island. She could see palm trees swaying and smelled salty air. Severus turned to her and extended his hand.

"Well, are you coming?" He smiled at her, knowing he had impressed her again.

"You never cease to outdo yourself, my love." She grasped his hand and entered the dock. He helped her into the boat and soon they were speeding toward the island. Lana sat back and enjoyed the salty air whipping her hair behind her. She glanced over at Severus and noticed that he too was enjoying her hair. She gave him a big smile. Realizing he had been caught, he turned back to steering the boat a big grin on his face.

"Do you want to go right to the island, or spend some time on the water?" he asked her after a minute.

"Let's go check out the island," she responded eagerly.

He steered the boat towards the island and before they knew it they were roped at another small pier jutting off the beach. Severus hopped out and offered his hand to help Lana. She being wobbly on her feet about fell into his arms as she got out of the boat. She smiled at him.

"You're always there to catch me when I stumble."

He didn't say a word, but put his arm around her waist and they walked up the beach to a small cottage nestled under some palm trees. The cottage was made of cement and was painted white. It had a roof made of half circle tiles that were red. The windows were arched and had screens in them. There was a wooden porch that went the full length of the front of the building. They arrived at the door which was made from a rich mahogany wood.

Severus opened the door and let her pass through. She squealed in delight as she looked around the cottage. It was filled with wicker furniture. They were covered in pillows that had reds, oranges, and greens in a floral patter. All the doors were made of mahogany and there was an elegant mahogany table with two chairs in the dinette area. There was a small kitchen and a bedroom. The bed had the same floral pattern, the same as in the living room. There were French doors along the back wall of the bedroom. They led to another porch and more sand and ocean about 100 yards away. Lana looked out the doors and noticed there were beach chairs set up in the back along with…

"A hammock! And it's big enough for the both of us! Severus, this is wonderful. Where are we supposed to be?"

"We are on an island off the shore of Belize. If you notice the waves ebbing about half a mile off shore, that's a barrier reef. We can snorkel and dive there if you'd like. The wildlife is supposed to be spectacular. There are even nurse sharks swimming around that you can pet."

"How on earth did they do this? It's spectacular!"

"I don't know. I just told them what I wanted and here it is. What do you want to do now?"

"I didn't even pack anything! How are we supposed to swim when I don't even have a swimsuit?"

Severus took a shrunken backpack out of his pocket and dangled it in front of her face. "I took the opportunity to pack for both of us," he grinned.

"Well then, let's go snorkeling."

After changing they returned to the boat and circled the island, which wasn't hard to do, as it was very small. Soon they were heading for the reef.

They snorkeled for a couple of hours. Lana couldn't believe the colors she saw under the sea. The coral reef was home to hundreds of different species of fish, all brightly colored in different patters. They would dart by the couple in bursts of yellow, blue, orange, and every other color imaginable. They played with some rays for a while and then an unexpected nurse shark floated by them. Lana was startled for a minute, but when Severus swam over and gently petted the creature on its side, she swallowed her fear and approached the large animal. She saw its eye regard her as she cautiously stroked the brown skin on its side. It stayed and let them pet it for a minute, then with a wiggle of its body, swam away. They pulled their heads out of the water and looked at each other.

"Wow, I've never been that close to a shark before," Severus said.

"Me neither. I was afraid it was going to bite my hand off!" she laughed.

"Nurse Sharks are gentle. They don't attack people. You do have to be careful though, if they get mad, they will bite." He floated on his back for a minute. "I'm getting hungry, how about you?"

She considered his question. "Now that you mention it, I'm starving, and so is your son. He's been giving me heartburn all day."

With that they returned to the boat and sped back around to the dock. Returning to the cottage, they changed clothes and went into the kitchen area. Severus opened one of the drawers and pulled out two menus. Lana raised her eyebrows.

"Well, you didn't think we were going to cook our own meals on our anniversary, did you?" he asked her.

She chuckled and said, "You think of everything."

The menu was truly Caribbean. They decided to have fried Conch fritters for an appetizer. Severus ordered Barracuda topped with a chopped tomato aioli, and Lana ordered grilled lobster tails. They said their orders into the menu and almost instantly the dishes appeared on the table in the dinette. They sat down and ate happily.

After they had finished Severus asked her if she would like to dance. Her mouth fell open. She could count on one hand the times they had danced together. He stood and offered her his hand. She took it and soon soft music was playing and her head was on his chest as they swayed together. She sighed. This was heavenly. She looked up at Severus and put her arms around his neck.

"You really are a wonderful dancer. Why don't you do it more often?" she asked him.

"Dancing is for special occasions. Of course I can't think of a more special occasion than this." He smiled down at her, pulling her closer.

The song ended and Severus took her hand and led her to the bedroom. The bed and floor were covered in rose petals. Lana's eyes widened at the sight.

"You are such a romantic!" she exclaimed. "Too bad I'm the only one who knows it!" She squeezed his hand. He turned to her and there was fire in his eyes.

He caressed her cheek. "Thank you," he said finally.

"For what?" she asked puzzled.

"Lana, I don't know what I did to deserve such a wonderful woman at my side, but thank you."

She hesitated a moment and then said, "You underestimate yourself. I could not think of a more amazing man to spend the rest of my life with."

She smiled up at him and he bent low and kissed her. A shiver went down her spine. She eased closer to him. Severus' heart was racing with the feel of her lips on his. Their kiss deepened, neither wanting to release the other. Lana reached up and ran her fingers through Severus' hair, feeling him quiver at her touch. They moved toward the bed, never releasing each others lips. Their arms pulled each other into tight embraces as they eased themselves down on the bed. Lana silently thought the incantation and the door shut behind them, leaving them in the quiet solitude of the bedroom. They would each make sure the other never forgot this anniversary.

* * *

_A/N I lived in Belize for a while. The Reef is more beautiful than I could ever describe it, but you get the idea. Thanks for reading and reviewing._


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Lana and Severus walked hand in hand into Hogwarts. Their night away had been fully relaxing and they both felt able to get a handle on the new school year before the students returned. As the door closed Severus embraced her and gave her a long kiss.

"Thank you for a wonderful day," he said when they had separated.

"Every time you kiss me I have a wonderful day," she smiled back at him.

"Ahem," said a gruff voice. It was Mr. Filch. "Sorry to interrupt, Professors, but you have a visitor waiting for you both in the Great Hall."

They had both snapped their heads toward Filch, who was looking a bit embarrassed to have to break up the tender moment between the two. Severus recovered first and thanked him. Filch made a hasty getaway while they turned toward the doors to the Great Hall.

"I wonder who it could be. It's a bit too early to be getting visits from parents yet," mused Severus as he opened the door.

Letting Lana enter before him, he looked up to see Rita Skeeter sitting in a red velvet armchair, waiting patiently. He frowned.

"Rita!" cried Lana as Rita arose and Lana threw her arms around her.

"Lana, it's so great to see you." She glanced down at Lana's protruding abdomen. "Wow, is that kid standing up in there? You're enormous!"

"Thanks Rita, you always had a flair for stating the obvious in a more fantastical way than it really is." She smiled at the woman.

Rita chuckled. "I'm sorry; I just had to tease you. It brings back old memories of you teasing me. I have about four years of teases to get even with."

Now they were both laughing. Rita turned to Severus and greeted him. He gave her a curt nod. She waved her wand and made two more chairs appear, identical to the one she had been seated in. She motioned for them to sit down.

"Are you sure you don't want to come up to our apartment?" Lana questioned.

"Oh no, thank you though. I don't have a whole lot of time. I was wondering if we could do another follow up interview?" she asked tentatively.

Severus' eyes narrowed at the mention of the interview. "Isn't there anything more interesting going on in the wizarding world other than me?"

"But what could be more interesting? Well, other than Harry Potter, who I just interviewed last week," she muttered somewhat to herself. "The world wants to know the ins and outs of this school. They want to know how you govern. They also want to know what their favorite unsung hero has been doing."

Severus laughed out loud. "Favorite unsung hero? Rita I think you're starting to believe your own drivel!"

She gave a little "Hmmph," and then went on, "Look. You guys are going to have a baby. That's big news. I was wondering if I could come back again after it's born and get exclusive pictures."

Severus stood and literally growled at her. "You will not turn my son's birth into a media circus! If you want to interview me now and then, fine," He moved to within inches of Rita's face. "but you will not, I repeat, not, make my son into some sort of celebrity before he's even born! Do you understand me?"

Rita shrunk back and Lana stared after Severus with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

Rita finally had enough nerve to respond. "Fine, we won't photograph the baby. No big deal." She smoothed her hair and removed her note pad and quill as if nothing happened. "Why don't you have a seat again and I'll get on with the interview."

Severus seethed at her. He was not used to being dismissed so easily. "I don't want to do any interview. It's ridiculous!"

Rita looked at him like he knew nothing about anything. "Severus, sit down, for heaven's sake. You don't realize how interested in you the rest of the world is. At least once a day I get asked about what you're up to. The people want to know!"

Severus went back to his chair and plopped in it. Heaving a great sigh he said, "Just what is it they want to know?"

"Why, everything! What you eat, how long your hair is now, are you still fighting against evil. You're like a superhero."

Severus put his head into his hands. He knew she was exaggerating, but just the thought of people being so engrossed in his personal life was enough to make him want to bite through nails. He stole a glance at Lana. She was waiting patiently for him to make up his mind. Blasted woman, she loved all of this stuff. Suddenly he had an idea.

"Why don't you interview Lana instead? She's my wife, she knows a lot about me."

Lana laughed out loud at that comment, but Rita just scowled. Turning to Lana, she looked apologetic.

"I'm sorry Lana, you're just not newsworthy. You just married him; he's the one who did all the great stuff." She shrugged her shoulders at Lana.

"That's alright. I wouldn't know what to say in an interview anyway," Lana told her.

Severus snapped his head around to her, "But I do? It was bad enough doing the other two interviews with her. Is she going to show up every year, demanding to talk to me?" He spoke as if Rita wasn't even there.

Lana looked at Severus lovingly. "You know I love to see you get credit for everything you've done."

He threw his hands in the air, knowing when he had been beaten. "All right, all right, I'll answer your stupid questions. I just won't like it very much. Now let's get on with it."

Rita grinned and set her quill to the paper. "Let's see," she thought. "How has being Headmaster changed your view of Hogwarts?"

Severus' eyebrows knit together and he began to give her an answer.

After more than an hour of tedious questions, Rita was again hugging Lana and saying her goodbyes. She shook Severus' hand and couldn't help asking him, "Are you sure I can't come back when the baby is born?"

Severus frowned and put his hands on Rita's shoulders. He turned her around and carefully guided her to the door. He opened it and pushed her out onto the stoop roughly. Looking at her crossly, he simply said, "No!" He then slammed the door in her face. Rita's eyebrows shot up, and then she shrugged, turned around, and walked away.

Severus leaned against the door in exasperation. "Remind me why I even agreed in the first place to talk with that hideous woman?" he asked Lana.

She giggled and took his arm, leading him toward their apartment. "Come now, my love, she's never written anything untrue about you. I rather think her articles about you are some of her best work."

"You're as impossible as she is," he said in exasperation.

* * *

Several days later, Severus was hurrying through the streets of Hogsmeade, on his way to the Hog's Head. He was picking up the last shipment of supplies before the first day of school. The town, which usually was bustling, was rather empty. As he continued toward the bar, the streets became even more deserted. He had his head down and he was deep in thought. Lana was due in two weeks. He had that much time to figure out how to be a father. He reflected on his own father's example. It was pitiful. When he wasn't beating him, he was demeaning him, making him feel worthless. Well, he supposed he could use his father as an example of the kind of father he shouldn't be. That didn't help much.

He was so busy with his thoughts he failed to notice two cloaked figures in the alleyway he had just passed. He thought of Dumbledore. Albus had been the closest thing to a father figure that Severus had. He had always been patient with him, even through his tirades.

That was another thing. Any son of his was bound to have his awful temper. Wincing, he thought maybe with Lana to guide him; his son wouldn't be the misfit that Severus had become.

He continued mulling over his unborn child, not realizing that the two figures had followed him down the street. One of them had raised his arm, revealing a wand in his hand. "_Petrificus Totalus_!" came a voice from the figure. Severus fell face down onto the sidewalk. The two men approached his still form. One of them kicked him so that he rolled over and was facing them.

He was mentally chiding himself for being so careless. He usually was aware of even the smallest sound when he was traveling, but his mind had been preoccupied, and he had been caught defenseless.

"You're a tough one to get by yourself, traitor," said a gravelly voice that Severus could not identify.

"Come on, let's get him out of here!" said the other voice.

They cast a weightlessness spell over him and the two men picked him up and apparated away.

* * *

_A/N: Uh oh Severus' past has caught up with him! Thanks for reading and reviewing._


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 **

Severus opened his eyes a crack. He was on a cold cement floor. He could see metal bars a short distance away. He was in a cell. When the two men had reached where ever they were, they had dropped him to the floor. Both of them had set the _Cruciatus_ curse on him while he still was in the petrified state. He couldn't even scream as they tortured him. Finally he had passed out.

Now he had regained consciousness. He didn't know how long he had been on this floor or where he was, for that matter. He saw no one in the vicinity, so he opened his eyes fully. He assessed his body. It was screaming at him. Every part of him ached from the curses. He wasn't even sure that he could move at this point. He curled his fingers and his toes. At least some small part of his body worked alright. Slowly he flexed the rest of his body. He seemed to be in better shape than he felt.

He scanned the room again before moving in earnest. It looked like some kind of basement. It was dimly lit. Shadows fell in the corners and he was unable to see there, but the rest of the room was empty. He decided to risk getting into a sitting position. He groaned inwardly as he moved. He could barely push his torso up. He finally rolled over and lay there for a minute. Then he dragged himself into a sitting position and looked around the cell.

Suddenly a figure came out from behind the corner shadows. Severus was so weak; he could barely turn his head to stare in the person's direction. As the person came closer, Severus was able to distinguish his features. He sighed. It was Rodolphus Lestrange. He had a menacing snarl on his face.

"So, traitor, we finally meet again face to face!" he spat.

Severus gave no reply.

"I have had my men following you for almost two years now. Oh you're a clever one, Severus. Always with somebody, and when you're not, constantly looking over your shoulder. I almost had you several times, but you are extremely elusive. But I knew that as time went on, you would get lax. I knew that if I waited long enough, you would be too busy with other concerns, and my men would have you! It seems that my waiting has paid off, has it not, traitor?"

Severus tried to look as nonchalant as possible. "I fail to see what it is you want with me."

Lestrange's face exploded in hatred. "I want revenge of course! All that time, kissing up to Voldemort, just to get information from him! You're a swine!"

Severus remained calm and unemotional on the outside. "You can't seriously be after me because of that." He was even able to feign a chuckle. His insides were about to explode in anxiety.

"That's not the full reason!" Lestrange screamed. "You killed my wife!"

Severus looked at him, puzzled. "I hate to break this to you, but Molly Weasley killed your wife. I really don't resemble her very much. I think we have a case of mistaken identity."

"_Crucio!"_ Lestrange screamed. Severus fell back to the floor in a fit of tremors. Rodolphus stalked to the edge of the cell.

"I know Molly Weasley killed my wife, you piece of crap, but if you had not sold out Voldemort, he would have killed Potter and we would be victorious now. I would have my beautiful wife beside me as we ruled with the Dark Lord forever."

It took all of Severus' strength to respond without his voice being shaky. "Why do you care anyway, she never loved you."

"What exactly does that mean?" Rodolphus asked in anger.

"Come now, Lestrange, even you know she only had eyes for Voldemort."

"Enough! Do not besmirch Bellatrix's name like that. _Crucio!"_

This time Severus screamed aloud until the spell was lifted. Gasping for breath, he managed to croak, "You can curse me all you like, but that doesn't negate the fact that your wife loved the Dark Lord!"

Lestrange screamed. "She loved me! She married me! She was _my _wife!"

Severus had managed to catch his breath and continued his taunting. "Were you actually that blind? Everyone knew that she loved Voldemort. He only cared for her for what she could do for him, and believe me, she did a lot for him and he used every bit of her completely!"

A deep growl came out of Rodolphus.

"I should kill you now!" he roared.

He raised his wand and Severus braced himself for the unavoidable death curse. A momentary feeling of regret flashed through Severus' mind. Then Rodolphus calmed himself considerably.

"But that would ruin my little surprise, wouldn't it." He tittered wildly at Severus. Lowering his wand, he continued. "I have a lot planned for you traitor. It wouldn't be a fitting death just to kill you outright. You need to _suffer_!"

Severus groaned inside as he realized that Lestrange had gone mad. He took another look around the cell. Finding no quick means of escape, he realized that he was entirely at the mercy of this mad man.

"You didn't think I brought you here for tea, did you traitor?"

Severus just stared at him.

"You will suffer for your crimes, and in your death, you will be assured never to have anything that you hold dear!"

Severus frowned at him, fear flaming within him as his heart grew cold.

"Shall we get started then?" He gave a maniacal cackle. He sent _Cruciatus_ curse after _Cruciatus_ curse on Severus, until Severus lost consciousness, then he did a few more for good measure. After he was sure Severus was unconscious he went into the corner to a cabinet. Inside there was a small vial of black liquid. He removed it and went over to the cell.

"_Alohomora," _he chanted and there was a click. Rodolphus opened the door and held his wand at Severus. He knew that the traitor couldn't be trusted. He knelt down and prodded him with his wand. Severus made no motions. Turning him over on his back, he opened the small bottle and poured it into Severus' mouth. Backing out of the cell, he locked it again and made a chair appear. He sat and folded his arms, staring at Severus. He would need to wait for the man to regain consciousness before the real fun began.

* * *


	24. Chapter 24

_A/N: I own nothing but Lana Snape._

_The working of the mysterious black liquid are revealed:_

**Chapter 24**

Severus woke up a little while later. He opened his eyes into slits so he could reassess the situation. Lestrange sat on a chair, his arms folded, as if waiting for him to wake up. Something was wrong. He felt a burning within him. It wasn't painful as yet, but it seemed to fill his whole body. His mind was fuzzy. He was unable to put up his usual defenses. Occlumency wasn't working. Lestrange would be able to read his mind at will.

Panic began to spread within Severus' body. He had to find a way out of here, before he was killed. He studied the cell covertly. It was made up of simple bars and a floor. There were no trap doors to be seen and the only entry was the cell door, which was locked. He was on his back, so he had a clear view of the ceiling. Even if he could stand, there was no help for him up there. It was just a plain painted ceiling with no indentations or anything that could be used as an escape.

The burning in his body flared slightly and became more intense. It seemed to center in his midsection and radiated out from there. Even his toes and fingertips tingled with the burning sensation. He wondered what Lestrange had done to him to bring about this feeling. Perhaps it was some potion or poison. How long would the effects last and how much more fuzzy would his mind become? What would Lestrange do to him if he could enter his thoughts at will?

"I can feel that you're awake, traitor." Lestrange chuckled mirthlessly. "You may be wondering what's happening to you. I've poisoned you. You have about 24 hours before your demise. Oh, and believe me, it will be painful. Your body will burn from within until you cannot take it anymore. You will die from the extreme pain caused to you by the poison. Between now and then, I get to have some fun. I think you deserve to be tortured for the pain you put me through. You need to squirm for playing a part in the destruction of the Dark Lord. If it hadn't been for you, my Bella would be here with me and we would have more power than even I can imagine! Now it is time for you to feel how I felt on that day that Bellatrix was taken from me!"

Rodolphus concentrated and began to penetrate Severus' mind. Severus tried to fight him, but couldn't concentrate. Suddenly images flew across his consciousness. It was the final battle. Bellatrix was sneering at Molly Weasley as they dueled. All of a sudden, Bellatrix was no longer herself. In her place, Lana fought for her life. Molly Weasley was replaced by Rodolphus. They shot curse after curse at one another. Each ducked the other's curse and turned and shot their own. Lana seemed to be getting the upper hand and she smiled to herself.

Suddenly Lestrange delivered another killing curse. Lana was distracted and the curse hit her squarely in the chest. Severus saw Lana look down at her torso blandly as if examining her clothes. She stumbled backwards in shock and finally fell to the floor, her eyes vacant and lifeless. He knew she was dead.

This wasn't real, was it? She hadn't died in the battle, had she? She was pregnant with his child, right? No! She was dead! He could see her lying on the ground, her beautiful face frozen in death. He was suddenly filled with a grief so intense that he could only scream. It was as if the poison was pulling out every emotion he had. He screamed her name and was reduced to tears. Curling into a ball he murmured "No," over and over again.

Lestrange laughed. "The ever stoic Severus Snape, curled up on the floor crying. Now this is magnificent!"

Severus tried to control himself, but he just found himself crying more. His mind was bombarded with every evil deed he had ever done as a Death Eater. He stood in the Death Eater circle and witnessed the killing of Muggles. He killed some himself, saving them from certain torture by the others. Each death stung him and filled him with grief. He was on the Astronomy Tower, Dumbledore pleading for him to end his life. He sent the killing blow and was filled with regret and remorse once again. He reported the Prophecy to Voldemort and saw the malice in his eyes. He saw Lily smiling at him, and then she turned into a skeleton, her smile replaced with a gaping maw.

He curled up tighter, trying to ward off the bombardment from Lestrange, but nothing worked. Tears streamed down his face as he groaned in agony. Then he relived every curse Voldemort had ever put upon him. His arm was pulled out from his side and Voldemort's wand seared his skin. The Dark Mark appeared a bright red and intense pain coursed through his body. He was again in the Death Eater's circle, this time in the center. Each Death Eater came up and kicked and pummeled him while Voldemort looked on grinning evilly. His body started to shake as a thousand _Cruciatus_ curses were flung at him through time. Nagini swept down on him, attacking him in the Shrieking Shack. Finally, everything went black.

Lestrange looked on at Severus curiously. He seemed to have lost consciousness. Rodolphus smiled evilly. If just a few minutes of torture were enough to get this result, the rest of his time with the traitor would be very satisfying.

* * *

_A/N: Can Severus survive from this maniac? Thanks for reading and reviewing._


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

A little while later Severus awakened again. His body burned furiously with the poison. Rodolphus seemed unaware that he had regained consciousness. Severus tried to think of a way out of this mess, but his mind was still foggy and he had a hard time concentrating. He knew he would never have the strength to escape by himself. He needed help. His thoughts reached out to his wife, his only hope.

Lana was in her classroom inventorying her collection of 'textbooks.' The class didn't really use an official text, unless you considered a Runes/English Dictionary a text. Their texts consisted of an entire wall of books. Over the years she had collected an extensive library of writings. Each text had multiple copies, one for each student. She had grouped each title together, leaving spaces between the individual works, for easier locating. She always tried to expand her collection by one title every year. This year's addition was a copy of a clay tablet that dated to ancient Mesopotamia. She smiled as she made room on the shelf for it and placed the multiple copies in their new home.

_Lana_ a voice inside her called. She looked puzzled. Had she just heard something? A chill ran down her spine as her senses became more acute. She concentrated harder.

_Lana._ There it was again. It was Severus' voice. He sounded strange.

_Severus? _she thought back to him.

_I…need help._ His voice was so weak! She began to be apprehensive.

_What's wrong? Where are you?_

_I don't…know. I'm trapped with Rodolphus Lestrange. _There was a long pause. _He has poisoned me. Less than 24 hours left._

Fear gripped her. _How can I find you? What kind of poison?_

An image of the cell where Severus was held captive flooded her thoughts. She gasped as she saw him lying prone on the ground. The image began to fade.

_How can I find you? s_he thought to him anxiously.

_Don't know. _His voice was getting softer and harder to understand. Lana concentrated even harder.

_I love you. Take care of our son, _he thought to her.

"No!" Lana screamed out loud. She tried to get his thoughts back, but she only found empty silence. She staggered back a bit and was glad to come up against her desk or she would have fallen to the floor. She braced herself there for a moment. Where could he be? How could she find him? She went over the conversation in her head again. He said Rodolphus Lestrange had captured him. There was a name she hadn't heard for a while. Everyone had assumed he had been killed, but Severus had correctly assumed he had been in hiding.

Their worst fears were being realized. They had known that former Death Eaters would always be a threat to Severus and he had taken great care in his travels not to be taken by surprise. She wondered what had happened to let his guard down. That was unusual for him.

She shook her head violently. This wasn't the time to be speculating. Severus had less than 24 hours to live. She had to find his whereabouts and rescue him. She straightened herself up and quickly left the room. Walking quickly down the hall she stopped at a doorway and rapped on it.

"Come in!" came Minerva McGonagall's cheery voice from behind the door.

She opened it and entered.

"Lana! How was you're holiday?" She glanced at Lana's protruding stomach. "Oh my, you look like you're about to have that baby any second now!" Minerva smiled at Lana.

"Minerva, Severus is in trouble. He's been abducted by Rodolphus Lestrange and has been poisoned. I've got less than 24 hours to find him."

Minerva stared at her in shock. "Good gracious, Lana, you're in no condition to hunt down Lestrange! What if you go into labor?"

"That's a chance I have to take. Do you know where the Lestrange property is?"

"You can't believe he'd be stupid enough to hide there?"

"No, but I need a place to start. I have no idea where he's taken Severus."

Minerva walked to her bookshelf and pulled out an old atlas. She went over to her desk and opened it to a page that showed the outskirts of London. She pointed with her wand to a town called St. James's. Casting an Enlargement charm, the town came closer into view, so the individual streets could be identified. She pointed to a street.

"He lives here, on Babmaes St. It's the mansion at the end of the street. It's the only one facing north."

Lana nodded her head. "I need you to go to Poppy and tell her everything. She needs to wait for me to return outside the Hogwarts gates. There won't be time for me to ferry Severus all the way to the infirmary. I have no idea what type of poison has been used, so tell her to be prepared."

Minerva folded her arms under her chest. "How are you going to get there? I know you can't apparate because of the baby."

Lana looked determined. "I have to. It's the only way. Last time I didn't have any after effects until a few hours after the apparition. I can only hope I have enough time to save him before I collapse."

"Lana, you could die, even before you find him! I'm going with you!"

"Minerva, I need you to alert Poppy!"

Minerva strode to her door and opened it, looking out into the hall. "We can find someone else to do that, I'm going with you and that's final."

Just then Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat padded by chasing after some small creature.

"Oh Mrs. Norris; might I have a word, please?" Minerva called to her.

The cat reluctantly stopped and turned toward Minerva. Her eyes narrowed at the Professor, upset that she had interrupted her hunting.

"Would you mind fetching Mr. Filch here please? It's urgent, so if you wouldn't mind hurrying."

The cat regarded her stonily, then turned with her tail and head in the air and stalked off. Minerva hoped that the cat would do her bidding. She turned back to Lana.

"There, now all we have to do is to wait for Mr. Filch. He can relay the message and we can get going."

Lana started to say something, but then thought better of it. There was no use in arguing with Minerva when she had her mind made up. Besides, she could use some help in figuring out this mystery.

In a few minutes, Filch appeared. Lana and Minerva explained everything to him and soon he was hurrying out of the room to inform Madam Pomfrey of the incident. Minerva turned to Lana.

"Come, let's get going. We haven't got much time." She motioned for Lana to exit her room before her and then followed her out. They hurried to the main floor and out to the entry gates. As Minerva closed them behind her she looked at Lana.

"Are you sure you want to do this? If you collapse, I'll have to apparate you back here. It may cause you more harm."

Lana looked at her with determination in her eyes. "My husband's life is at stake. I will do whatever I need to save him."

Minerva nodded and they both raised their wands and disapparated away. They appeared almost instantaneously on the street where the Lestrange Mansion was located. Lana gasped and grasped her abdomen, bending over in pain. Minerva rushed over to her and placed an arm supportively around her shoulders. After a few minutes like this, Lana straightened up. She looked nervously at Minerva.

"Minerva, I don't think I can do very many of these apparitions, I hope he's close!"

"You're alright, though?" Minerva asked compassionately.

Lana motioned that she was. They turned to the task at hand. The mansion was a couple of houses down the street. It was dusk, so the street lights had suddenly come on. The two women hurried down the street and approached the mansion. The upper floors were cast in shadow, but a light streamed from a small window that looked like it led to a basement.

"Don't tell me we've found him." Minerva mumbled.

"It may be a trap," Lana countered. "Let's be prepared."

Minerva nodded at her and they went to the gate. It opened easily. Lana's eyebrows knit together. It had to be a trap, this was too easy. They crept silently to the door. Minerva peered into a window framing the door. It was dark inside.

"I don't see anyone. There's a faint glow coming from the rear of the house," she whispered.

Lana tried the doorknob. It was unlocked and opened easily. She looked curiously at Minerva. They silently crept in and closed the door behind them. Not wanting to give themselves away, they let their eyes adjust to the light instead of lighting their wands. Slowly shapes in the room began to appear. All were furniture from the looks of it. They were in a large room, probably some sort of sitting room. A hall extended from the opposite end of the room. They could barely see where doors led to other parts of the mansion. On the right of the room, a large staircase curved upwards and downwards. A faint glow emanated from the downward staircase. There was also a dim light coming from under the closed door at the end of the hall. Lana pointed toward the door in the hall and they slowly crept toward it with wands extended. As they neared it, they could hear voices. They paused at the door and listened for a moment as the voices spoke.

"So why doesn' he just pay us now so we can get out a here!" said the first voice. The words were slightly slurred.

The other voice sounded even more slurred. "He wants us to keep an eye out for intruders! You know the Ministry has been keeping an eye on this house."

The first voice chuckled. "Too bad they don' know you ken apparate straight into the house if you 'ave the symbol!"

"Ain' nobody gonna get in here unless we wannem' in here!" cried the second voice. Lana could picture him swaying in his seat as he spoke. The two men had obviously been drinking heavily.

"Tha's what I'm sayin'. He should just pay us and be dun with it," responded the first voice.

Minerva and Lana glanced at each other. Could they have actually stumbled across the right place on their first try? They continued to listen to the drunken ramblings beyond the door.

"He owes us big time! We've been tailin' that greasy git for almost two years now," the first voice went on.

"I'm surprised we got 'im today. Too busy walkin' like a bat to notice us, I reckon." The man chuckled.

Minerva waved her hand to grab Lana's attention. Obviously these men had information they needed. She mouthed "on three" at Lana and they prepared to burst in the door. Lana put her hand on the doorknob and got ready.

She looked over at Minerva as she mouthed the words "One…two…three!"

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_A/N: Hope you liked it. :)_


	26. Chapter 26

_**A/N**: This is for Drunkenmusic Gals and xtremestapefan, who are waiting patiently for an update._

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**Chapter 26**

_Lana put her hand on the doorknob and got ready. _

_She looked over at Minerva as she mouthed the words "One…two…three!"_

Minerva quickly turned the handle and burst through the door, saying _"Stupify!"_ to the man on the left. Minerva entered chanting _"Petrificus totalus!" _at the other one.The two men fell off their chairs, one unconscious, and the other stiff as stone. Only his beady eyes moved. The women looked at each other and held still for a moment, trying to see if their outburst had been heard downstairs. There was no movement within the house, as far as they could tell. Minerva went to the stunned man and bound him with her wand, so he wouldn't be any more trouble when he regained consciousness. Lana moved to the man who had been frozen. She marveled that Rodolphus had left security in the hands of these two dunderheads. The man followed her with his eyes as she approached.

Lana waved her wand and said, "Legilimens." She entered the man's mind and saw exactly what had happened, from the abduction to the men bringing Severus to the basement. She withdrew from the man's mind and faced Minerva.

"He's downstairs with Lestrange."

Minerva nodded and bound the second man, just for good measure. She also made gags for the two so they didn't make a racket and give away the women's position.

Sneaking back the way they came they headed for the stairs. They paused at the top and peered down. It seemed that the stairway went straight into whatever room was down there, severely hindering their ability to surprise. As they stood there, they heard Rodolphus' voice.

"Wake up, traitor! _Crucio!"_

Severus was awakened by the pain of the curse and yelled out despite himself.

Rodolphus sneered at Severus. "That last little bit was too much for you, traitor?" he snarled. "Seeing your wife killed by Death Eaters over and over again in horrible ways was a little too tough for you? Well think of how I felt when I found Bella's broken body after that Weasley woman was done with her! But she will pay in her own way," he went on, more to himself than to Severus.

Severus groaned in pain. His body seemed to be on fire. He didn't know how long he had been there on the floor, but he already couldn't imagine the poison hurting much more than it already did.

As if Rodolphus knew what he was thinking he said, "What's wrong, traitor? Does it burn inside?" He laughed. "That's nothing compared to how it will tear you apart from within in a few hours." His eyes gleamed psychotically.

Lana almost raced down the staircase right then and there, but Minerva held her back. She whispered very softly to her, "We need a plan." Minerva got down on the floor and slid herself forward so she could peer between the first steps and the bottom of the ceiling below. There was Lestrange, sitting at the front of a chair that was a few feet away from a cell. Crumpled in a heap on the floor lay Severus. She winced at the sight of him. He was writhing on the floor and looked like he was in incredible pain. Glancing around the room, she noticed a window high up in the wall to the left of the cell across from where the staircase was. She straightened up and motioned for Lana to follow her. When they were far enough away from the staircase to speak to one another, she explained what she had seen.

"The window that we saw from outside is across the room from the staircase. I'll go out and try to break in from there, and you can sneak up behind him and stun him."

Lana shook her head. "No, Minerva, that's too dangerous. He could kill you before I get to him or you even have a chance to defend yourself. I'll do it."

"Well the same thing could happen to you!" said Minerva indignantly. "Besides, you have another life to worry about. Let me take the risk. I trust you'll disable him before he can hurt me too badly."

Lana frowned at her. She didn't like this plan at all, but she couldn't think of a better one. She tersely nodded her head and followed Minerva as she slipped back out into the darkness. Lana moved back to the head of the stairs, waiting for a commotion downstairs that would signal for her to race down. Suddenly harsh screams and maniacal laughter came from the basement. Lana stilled her racing heart and waited for Minerva's signal.

Rodolphus was continuing to egg Severus on. He was now sending pictures of Severus being tortured in all forms to him. Severus was in the cell being whipped. His bare back was bleeding profusely from each gash the whip made in him. Then he was chained with his face to the wall, being branded with hot pokers, he screamed as each 'S' shaped brand seared into his back over the gashes that the whip had made. Lestrange laughed every time Severus screamed. He was concentrating on the traitor so much he didn't even hear the scuttle at the window.

He was concentrating on slitting Severus' throat when a rush from the stairway got his attention. He snapped his wand out and jumped out of the way of Lana's curse. He shot a curse at her and she nearly tumbled down the stairs trying to evade it. There was a loud crash as the window broke completely and Minerva shot a spell at Rodolphus. He tumbled to the floor and rolled forward, nearly being hit. As he straightened up he shot a curse at Minerva and then quickly turned to Lana. She had recovered what little balance she had being pregnant and was now at the bottom of the stairs. Her wand pointed directly at Lestrange's heart.

"Just what do you think you're doing to my husband, you sniveling dung heap?" she demanded.

Rodolphus was taken aback. His men should have been looking out for intruders, how had the woman been able to sneak up on him?

"It's called revenge and it's all it's cracked up to be," he sneered. "You're too late. The poison is circulating in his body and you will never find the cure!" He laughed while still pointing his wand at Lana.

"If my husband dies, you will die a much worse death than he!" she said, blasting a curse his way. He shielded himself and moved a little closer to the window, forgetting that McGonagall was just outside of it.

He laughed like a devil. "You haven't got it in you to kill me, woman. I'll have destroyed you before you even have a chance to raise your wand."

He moved a little farther toward the window, giving Lana a clear view of Severus writhing on the floor. For a moment she was drawn to him, unable to remove her eyes from his prone form. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the killing curse come at her. Cursing to herself she fell to the floor and shot a shielding spell to try and avoid being killed. She knew better than to let her guard down. She hit the floor and began to roll sideways, so as not to be hit by any other curses coming from Lestrange's wand. Being so bulky, she wasn't able to move as she normally would and caught the tail end of a _Cruciatus_ curse. She was forced into a ball as the pain surged through her body. She could even feel the baby writhing in pain. Tears fell down her cheek. She wondered why Lestrange hadn't finished her off already; she was incapable of defending herself in this state.

Suddenly the curse lifted. She raised herself onto her hands and looked around. Lestrange's body lay on the ground a few feet away, his vacant eyes staring blankly at her. Outside, Minerva was pocketing her wand and scurrying through the window. With all of Lestrange's concentration on her, Minerva had the opportunity to kill him outright. Lana sighed with relief. Now they could take care of Severus.

Minerva rushed over to Lana and helped her to her feet. "Are you alright? Did he hurt the baby?"

"I think I'm okay," she said shakily. Forgetting about anything else she ran to the cell and put her hands around the bars. Severus continued to writhe in pain. He was curled up in a ball again with his legs under him. He didn't seem aware of anything that was going on.

Minerva took her wand and said, "_Alohomora," _and the cell lock clicked open. "This nut job was really confident that nothing could go wrong with his plan, wasn't he," she remarked to Lana.

Lana didn't answer as she was already through the bars and helping Severus to a sitting position. He was shaking all over. His eyes were open and he was looking at her. He raised a shaky hand and touched her face.

"Are you real?" he asked her.

"Yes, my love. Rodolphus is dead, you are safe."

He continued caressing her face. "At least I got to see you once more before I die." With that he slipped into unconsciousness again.

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_A/N: Not sure if that helped or hindered your worrying. Thanks for reading and reviewing._


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Determination filled Lana's voice. "Minerva, help me get him up. We should be able to apparate right here."

"Lana, let me take him alone. I'll send Hagrid for you. It's too dangerous for you to apparate again."

"I will not leave my husband. I need to be with him, in case…" She trailed off at the thought of them not being able to reverse the poison.

Minerva was about to argue more, but Lana continued. "It will take hours to get me and return me to Hogwarts. I won't lose that time with him! It may be our last few hours together."

Minerva sadly gave Lana a curt nod and helped her raise Severus from the floor. They nodded at each other and side apparated back to Hogwarts. Poppy was pacing back and forth with a lantern as they appeared. Argus Filch was standing off to the side, looking worried. Lana and Minerva were able to ease Severus' shaking body to the ground before Lana screamed in pain. She doubled over and fell beside her husband, clutching her abdomen.

"Please be okay, please be okay," she murmured to the baby.

Poppy looked between Lana and Severus, not sure who to take care of first. She handed a vial to Minerva and told her to give it to Severus, while she rushed to Lana's side and waved her wand to try and repair the damage caused by the apparition.

"What did you give him, he seems to be calming down," asked Minerva.

"It's simply a calming draught. I need to asses the poison type before I can treat him. The wrong potion could accelerate the poison's action. She continued swishing her wand over Lana. After a few minutes she stood and levitated her. A stretcher appeared next to Lana and Poppy eased her body onto it.

"That's all I can do for her here. Mr. Filch, would you please take Lana to the infirmary, I'll finish treating her there."

She turned to Severus as Filch guided Lana to the infirmary. Lana was so distressed she grabbed Filch's hand and would not let it go until he had settled her into a bed. He straightened up and was about to move off when she asked him to please sit with her. He gave her a gap toothed grin and pulled up a chair and she took his hand again while they waited anxiously for Madam Pomfrey and the two Professors to return.

Back outside Madam Pomfrey had levitated Severus onto another stretcher and was walking along with him, doing some quick diagnostics with her wand. She frowned down at him.

"This is a very complicated poison. It seems to be mixed with other agents like veritas serum and a hallucinogenic potion," she told Minerva.

"That explains a lot. Lestrange was manipulating his mind somehow, making him see horrible things!" she exclaimed, giving a little shutter. "I'm glad we got to him when we did. Just the things he was imagining were probably enough to kill him long before the poison did."

They hurried along all the while Poppy waved her wand over Severus. As they approached the infirmary, Poppy told Minerva to tend to Lana and do whatever she could for her. Poppy was going to try an antidote.

They entered the small hospital and Minerva rushed over to Lana. Lana's gaze followed Severus as he was settled into a bed. She looked expectantly at Minerva.

"Poppy is mixing an antidote," Minerva told her. Addressing Filch she said, "Mr. Filch, I could use your help."

Filch was still sitting next to the bed, holding Lana's hand. At that moment his eyes went wide.

"But…but, Professor, I'm a caretaker, not a medic!" he said with fear in his eyes.

"I just need you to help me fetch items and such while I care for Lana here."

"Oh," he said with relief in his voice.

At that moment a sharp pain made Lana gasp. Minerva used a diagnostic spell to find out Lana's condition.

"Poppy, she's gone into labor. There's nothing I can do to stop it. She also has some internal bleeding from the separation of the placenta. I'm trying to control that."

"She's far enough along to have the baby now. Are you capable of delivering it?" asked Poppy.

"Oh, it's been a long time since I delivered a baby, but it's not something one forgets very easily."

Lana moaned in pain. Minerva's eyebrows knit together as she cast a charm that would partially sedate her and lessen the pain.

"Now Lana, when I tell you to push, you must push as hard as you can. I will help to ease the child along with my wand, but it will take some time to have him."

Lana just nodded. She glanced over at Severus. Poppy was pouring a potion into his mouth. He seemed to calm for a minute, making Lana's heart leap into her throat, then his eyes snapped open and he began to shake even more violently. He reached out to Poppy.

"Lana?" he whispered through gritted teeth.

"Right next to you," answered Poppy as she did more diagnostics. He turned his head and looked into Lana's eyes.

Poppy muttered something under her breath and then said, "There's something in the poison that has mutated. It's still there. The antidote was ineffective." She kept swirling her wand.

Minerva looked over at them and saw Severus' curious stare through his trembling.

"She's gone into labor, Severus. Your son will be here soon."

He extended his arm, to hold Lana's hand. Minerva waved her wand and moved Lana's bed closer to Severus' so Lana could grasp his hand in hers. His hand was burning hot and shaking uncontrollably. She squeezed it, trying to convey her love to him. Suddenly another contraction came and she squeezed him even harder. He was able to squeeze back a little.

Poppy raced over to her work desk and began pouring small amounts of different potions into a beaker. She swirled the liquid around and raced back to Severus, helping him to ingest it by raising his head in her hand. His body started to convulse and he ripped his hand from Lana's. She stared helplessly at him as he curled into a ball and his body was wracked with tremors.

Hiding her fear behind humor, she said, "Well, that didn't seem to work." Then another contraction came and she gasped and cried out again.

The scene played out the same for a few hours. She would be wracked with pain from contractions and Poppy would race back and forth from her work desk to Severus' bedside to administer another antidote with much the same effect. She feared that she was just making the poison stronger with each new potion, but she had to keep trying!

Finally Minerva told Lana it was time to push. Lana bore down for several minutes and cried out in pain. Minerva told her to keep bearing down and that she was helping the baby to come out with her magic. When Lana thought that she couldn't push or take the pain any longer, she was finally rewarded with angry cries from her newborn son. She collapsed back on the bed, exhausted.

"Congratulations, it's a boy!" cried Minerva. She handed the baby off to Mr. Filch and he held him like the child was about to shatter into a million pieces. Minerva told him to clean up the boy and wrap him in a blanket. Filch turned to do as he was told.

Minerva looked up at Lana with concern. "I'm having a hard time stopping the bleeding, Poppy," she said as she waved her wand over Lana.

"Try the spell _Sangue arresto,_" replied Poppy.

Minerva uttered the spell and then checked for more bleeding.

"She's still bleeding. It seems to be increasing. She's going to bleed to death! I don't know what else to do."

"I'll be right over."

Mr. Filch returned and placed the blanketed baby in the crook of Lana's arm. She looked over at him. He was gorgeous. He had black hair like Severus. There was quite a lot of it, and it was already drying and starting to stand on end. Lana smiled at that. His eyes were bright blue. She looked up at Minerva, feeling weak.

"Minerva, if for some reason, neither of us make it…will you raise him?"

Minerva stared at her for at least a minute. "You will be fine Lana, I promise."

"Minerva, please, just ease my mind," begged Lana.

Minerva nodded as she continued to wave her wand, trying to curb the bleeding.

"Thank you," Lana said gratefully. She turned her attention back to the baby. She reached over and stroked his small cheek. He turned his eyes to her and she could see intelligence and, was it recognition, in those stunning blue eyes. The boy wiggled and flailed a little, managing to somehow grasp her finger. She smiled down at him and felt a calmness and peace wash over her.

Poppy came over at that moment and checked on Minerva's work.

"Well, whatever you did, Minerva, it worked. The bleeding has stopped."

Minerva regarded her in amazement. "But I didn't do anything!" she retorted.

Lana laid her head back on the pillow and cradled her son by her side. She couldn't keep her eyes open.

"What are you naming him?" Poppy asked.

Joshua Albus, replied Lana as she drifted off to sleep.

Poppy looked down at the mother and child snuggled up against each other. Then she turned sadly to address Minerva. "There's nothing I can do for Severus. Each time I give him an antidote; the poison mutates and attacks in a different way. I've tried twenty different antidotes. I don't think he has much longer. Let Lana sleep for half an hour, and then wake her. She'll want to be with her husband."

With that Poppy turned and went to her office. She closed the door quietly behind her. Minerva left Poppy alone to her grieving. She always took her healing very seriously and was devastated when she lost a patient.

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_A/N: I know this chapter doesn't help much to alleve your worries about Severus. In fact, it doesn't look good at all for him, does it? At least Lana and the baby are safe. I'll update again soon. Thank you for continuing to read and review. _


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28 **

Minerva thanked Filch for his help and told him he could go. She sunk into the chair he had occupied while watching him exit. She watched Severus for a few minutes. He was still curled up in a ball, his body shaking violently. She couldn't tell if he was conscious or not, because his head was buried in his chest.

She would let them both rest for the time being. She turned to Lana and picked up the baby that was wiggling by her side. She sat down and cradled him in her arms, rocking him to sleep.

Staring at the two bedridden professors, a great sadness overcame her. She looked over at Severus as his body was wracked with tremors. What a terrible way to die. He had done so much for the wizarding world and had gained so many enemies in the wake of his heroism. Unfortunately, many of his enemies had never been caught and now they were seeing the outcome of the hatred of those enemies. There would be great rejoicing among former Death Eaters when Severus passed away.

Looking to Lana, her heart filled with fear. She wasn't sure that Lana would ever be the same again. Minerva certainly had not been after Albus had been killed. Of course, their relationship had been slightly different, but she shared the same love for Albus as Lana had for Severus.

Lana was a strong woman, but she was devoted to Severus. That wasn't a bad thing, but how could she overcome such grief and go on with her life? Perhaps the baby could help her to deal with her grief and move on.

She thought back to when Albus had died. When she first learned of his death, all she wanted to do was curl up in her bed and never get out of it. Of course, that couldn't happen, as there was a school to run and she was the only one qualified to do it. Nevertheless, when she had those few hours with nothing to do, she drowned in her grief. She had never felt such pain before, even when her parents had passed away. It seemed as if a great abyss had formed around her and she couldn't pull herself out of it. It had taken many months of self care and discussions with Poppy before she finally felt somewhat whole again. Even to this day, there was a part of her that felt empty whenever she thought about Albus.

She was lost in her thoughts until the half hour finally passed. Minerva shook Lana to wake her up. Lana mumbled something and turned over, trying to catch up with whatever dream she was in the middle of. Minerva shook her again.

"Lana, wake up. It's important."

Slowly Lana opened her eyes and sighed. Then, like a flood, everything came back to her. She whirled around in the bed and sat up.

"What's happened?" she demanded.

Minerva grabbed her hand with her own. "He's still alive, but barely. Poppy can't find a cure. It won't be much longer."

Lana gave a cry filled with pain. Tears came out of nowhere and she sobbed to Minerva, "No, it can't be. He can't die!"

Minerva had tears brimming in her eyes as well. "I'm sorry Lana; we've done all we can."

Lana wiped her tears away and composed herself. She would not fall apart in front of her husband. He needed her to be strong. She swung her legs to the side of the bed and stood up.

Minerva had risen too and was extending her hand to help Lana. "Are you alright? Do you need a steadying hand?"

Lana stood there puzzled for a minute. "No, I feel fine. I feel better than fine. I don't feel weak or tired at all. Are births always this easy?"

Minerva huffed. "Not to my knowledge! Most mothers don't leave their beds for hours, if not days after giving birth!"

Minerva moved out of the way so Lana could move around to the other side of Severus' bed. She took the chair and pulled it closer to Severus. Minerva continued to hold the baby for Lana as Lana reached for Severus' hand. He was shaking so badly now, she had to grip his hand with both of hers to steady it. Feeling her touch, he pulled his head away from his chest and gazed at her.

His eyes were hazy and filled with pain. She didn't know how he could even stand it and not be screaming. Of course, he was all about control. That was one of the many things she admired about him. She gave him a wan smile.

"Everything is going to be alright, my love," she smiled to him, but he saw through her ruse.

"Dying…" he gasped.

She took her hand and caressed his cheek. Her resolve had broken and tears were streaming down her face. "You can't leave me. You need to fight this."

"Too weak," he whispered while shaking violently.

"Never," she encouraged.

He reached out a shaking hand and pulled her head toward his. She rose slightly from her chair and they kissed one last time. She pulled away finally, trying to hide her tears. She crawled into the bed beside him and cradled his head in her arms. Letting her emotions take over, she sobbed in hysterics.

"You can't leave me! Severus, please…don't die! I can't live without you. You have to fight this. You have to get better. Please, please, Severus. I can't do this without you."

Her tears fell over him, but his shaking made him oblivious to them. He could not speak now; he only shook in her arms, pain enveloping him like fire. He struggled to speak again. He had to tell her, before it was too late. He picked his head up so that he could look into Lana's eyes. Although he still trembled uncontrollably, the haze had left his own eyes and he stared at her with clarity. He tried desperately to form the words he knew he must say before it was all over.

"I... will...love you…forever," he rasped.

"No, this is not goodbye!" Lana exclaimed frantically. "You cannot tell me good bye, Severus Snape, you can't! Don't give up! I love you and I need you. Don't die! Please! You can't. You can't. _You can't_," Lana whispered through her sobs.

Minerva wandered over and placed a comforting hand on Lana's shoulder as her body was wracked with sobs. She squeezed her shoulder, trying to catch Lana's attention.

"Lana," she said softly, "Maybe Severus would like to see his son."

Lana's head snapped in Minerva's direction.

"Oh, of course," she responded.

She reluctantly got down from the bed and Minerva placed the child next to Severus, facing him so he could get a good look at him.

Severus stared in wonderment. He picked his head up so he could see the baby better. He had a hard time focusing on the boy but he could tell he was a beautiful child. Joshua was awake now and was staring at Severus with intelligent eyes. Shaking uncontrollably Severus reached his hand out and touched the babe. The little boy wiggled and was able to grasp his father's finger in his hand. Severus' eyes widened and he gave a great gasp. His body tensed and his head fell beside the boy, his eyes closed, and his body deathly still. The baby started crying loudly.

* * *

A/N: _Well, that was intense. It took some time to get it the way I wanted it. Poor Lana. I hope she can survive the next few minutes, even. Thanks guys for reading. I love your comments. _


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Severus lay on the bed as still as a stone while the baby wailed.

Lana was frozen in place. The only thing that came from her mouth was the word "No." It sounded hollow and dead, even to her ears.

Minerva went past her and scooped up the baby, bouncing him up and down a bit to calm him. At that moment Poppy came out of her office to check on her patients and to see what was upsetting little Joshua. She looked at the two women, Lana frozen in place, and Minerva settling the child and she feared the worst. Extending her wand as she neared Severus' bed she cast the diagnostic spell.

"What?" she sputtered. She looked at the two women and then repeated the spell just to be sure.

Lana gave a little moan and repeated "No," over and over again. Each repitition sounded like a sigh of despair.

Poppy finished her second diagnostic and sputtered again, "He's…he's completely healed! What did you do? How did you cure him?"

Lana looked over and stared at Poppy with wide eyes. Then she turned back to Severus. Now she could see his chest rising and falling shallowly as he breathed. It was true! He was alive somehow! She pushed Minerva aside and threw herself on the bed and wrapped him up in her arms. The jostling awoke him and he slowly opened his eyes and looked at Lana. She pulled him to her chest and hugged him so tightly he thought he would pass out.

"Lana, I can't breath," he rasped.

She loosened her grasp and laughed out loud. "You're alive! Oh thank Merlin, you're alive!" she exclaimed.

Minerva and Poppy watched the scene with relief and quite a bit of disbelief. Then a realization dawned on Minerva. She pulled the baby away from her and stared at him fixedly.

"He's a healer," she said.

Poppy stared at the child. "What did you say?"

"The child is a healer! It all makes sense. As soon as he touched Lana, the bleeding stopped, she's even recovered from the birth, and as soon as he touched Severus, he was cured. The baby must have cried because of the pain he absorbed from his father."

Poppy looked at her in amazement, "But Minerva, there hasn't been a healer born in over one hundred years!"

"That's because Filius Hornsby has been the healer for most of that time, and Horatio Culpepper before that," replied Minerva.

A healer was a special type of witch or wizard. He had the ability to heal instantly by touch, neither needing a wand, nor needing to use normal magical incantations. The only thing a healer couldn't reverse was death. There had been many healers in the history of wizardry, but only one or two lived at the same time. In reality, their world had never been without a healer up until a little while ago, when the last surviving healer was killed by Death Eaters. He had been too much of a threat to Voldemort, appearing at battles and healing the wounded with only a light touch of the hand. The whole wizarding world had mourned the death of Filius Hornsby. There would be great rejoicing when they found out there had been a new healer born to them.

Poppy stared amazingly at the boy, realizing that Minerva was right. This baby was indeed special.

Severus turned his head to look at his son playfully wiggling in Minerva's arms. The baby was unaware of all the attention that was being channeled his way. Severus' eyes were filled with emotion.

"Bring the boy here," he told Minerva.

Severus disentangled himself from Lana's possessive grasp and Minerva placed Joshua between his parents. Severus scooped him up and looked into his eyes. Joshua stared back, almost knowingly.

He pulled the child close to him and whispered, "Thank you for saving our lives."

Joshua's little hand reached out and grasped Severus' nose. Severus pulled the baby back in surprise. The child almost seemed to smile at him. Severus put his face closer to Joshua's. Without warning a little mouth closed around Severus' nose and the child started sucking away at it. Everyone in the room laughed.

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Poppy had told them they could return to their apartment soon after that with the baby. A closer examination of Lana showed that she had healed from the birth completely. Even her abdomen had shrunk back to its normal flat state within the time between the birth and Severus' healing. 

They sat together on the couch. Severus had Joshua propped up on his crossed legs and both he and Lana marveled at how perfect his small little body was. Lana held on to Severus arm tightly, as if he might disappear in front of her eyes.

He glanced down at her clenched hands around his arm.

"I assure you, I have no plans to flee. I'm nervous about parenthood, but I would never leave you to raise the child alone," he said flatly.

Lana stared into Severus' eyes solemnly. She loosened her grip on his arm slightly, but didn't let go. She finally gave him a tiny smile.

"I'm just making sure that you're still here with me. You scared me to death! I swear I'll never let you out of my sight again!"

He gently took her hands off of his arm and encircled her in an embrace. He brought her in close to him and caressed her arm as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I really thought it was over this time." Severus confided. "I could feel my life ebbing away. My only regret was that I wouldn't be with you or Joshua again. I wouldn't be able to watch him grow up or be able to grow old with you."

Lana frowned. The idea of getting old and stooped over wasn't her idea of something to look forward to, although with Severus beside her, it almost sounded pleasant. She wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I've taken for granted our time together, Severus. I thought that just because Voldemort was dead, we didn't have anything to worry about. From now on I'm going to treasure every moment we have together as if it is our last. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I feel fine," retorted Severus, "but I'm having a hard time knowing what was real during my captivity." He got a faraway look as he remembered some unpleasantness. He turned to Lana anxiously, "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Oh, just a little _Cruciatus _curse. Minerva killed him before he had a chance to do any real damage."

Severus tightened his grip on her shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. However, I am grateful that you rescued me." He sobered even more, "Lana, I'm sorry that my life has been so wrapped up in evil that we'll have to be careful for the rest of our lives."

"I love you, and I don't regret a single minute of our time together, dangerous or not." She smiled at him.

The baby gurgled and wiggled happily on Severus' lap.

"See, he agrees with me," Lana said.

They both laughed. Lana got up and got them some pumpkin juice. She handed Severus a glass and sat back down next to him.

"Boy, it feels good to have my old body back again," she said with relief. "It's nice not to feel like an overgrown penguin all the time."

"You were beautiful pregnant," Severus replied.

"You keep saying that, but you don't have to flatter me; I know I was a whale."

"No you weren't. You were beautiful," Severus mumbled.

Lana smiled at him. "And you wonder why I love you so much." She motioned to kiss him on the cheek, but he turned and so she found his lips instead. They enjoyed each other for a while and then broke apart.

Smirking at him she told him he was sneaky. He scoffed at her and said he was just getting his due reward for being a good husband and father.

"Speaking of good father," she countered, "for someone scared to death of fatherhood, you seem to be taking to it very well." She motioned to the baby sleeping quietly on his lap.

He gazed down at Joshua proudly. "Oh, it's just the first day, I'm sure I'll mess up soon enough."

She laughed at him. "You're always so positive!" But she had to admit that he did seem to be more relaxed about his new position as a father. "He loves you already," she chided. "For heaven's sake, he saved your life."

"I just hope I can live up to his expectations," replied Severus. Suddenly a frown appeared on his face.

"What is it?" asked Lana.

"We'll have to be careful with him. Keep his powers a secret until he's older. There are certain elements out there that would do anything to have a healer in their control, and with my past, he's bound to be a target."

Lana sat staring soberly at Joshua. "He's so little. It's not fair that he may become a target. The word will get out that he is the new healer. We won't be able to keep it a secret for long. That kind of thing never stays quiet."

"He'll be okay. We're more than capable of protecting him."

"I was thinking of asking Filch to be his Godfather," Lana revealed.

Severus stared at her as if she had gone insane. "Lana, he already has one cranky git for a father, why would you want to make Filch his Godfather?"

She looked sheepishly at Severus. "It's just that, he was so sweet when he took me to the infirmary. He even held my hand while we waited for all of you to get there."

Severus knit his eyebrows together, deep in thought. Looking back to Lana he said, "I would rather have a strong wizard as his Godfather because of who he is. If for some reason we are killed, he'll need someone who not only can raise him, but protect him."

She nodded in agreement. "What about as an honorary Godfather? Then he wouldn't be responsible for his upbringing, he'll just need to spoil him rotten." She flashed Severus a huge grin.

Severus studied her for a moment and smiled back at her. "That would make a good compromise. We still need to find a good Godfather for him though."

"How about Harry Potter?" she asked, pretending to be serious.

Severus shot her a murderous glance. "Over my dead body."

"Well, that's kind of what we're discussing here, isn't it?" She drew little circles with her finger on his forearm. "Who would be better than 'The Boy-Who-Cheated-Death-Repeatedly' to protect our son in case of our demise?"

"You're kidding, right?" he said tartly.

Lana threw her head back and laughed. "You should see your face. I think you could bend steel with that look!" She stopped laughing, but kept smiling at him. "I was just joking with you, my love." She ran her hand through his hair. "But we do need to find someone as equally qualified as Potter for the position."

Severus sighed. His wife was always getting the best of his quick temper. That was one of the many reasons he loved her so much.

"How about Draco Malfoy?" he pondered.

"Why not Lucius?"

"He is just as hated and hunted as I am, but the former Death Eaters still don't know what to make of Draco. For the most part they leave him alone."

Lana thought it over for a while. "I think that is a good choice, but will he accept?"

"There's only one way to find out. We'll have to ask him."

* * *

_A/N: Kudos to Drunkonmusic Gals who inadvertintly figured out how Snape would be saved. Tee Hee. Well, just a couple more chapters before we wrap up. Hopefully these guys can have some peace and quiet for a change, huh? Thanks for everything!_


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

That evening was rough on Lana. She had no idea that babies never slept. Little Joshua seemed to wake every two hours demanding to be fed. She had wandered into the nursery several times, half asleep. She would stare down at the wailing child, trying to remember what she was doing in the room. Finally she would pick up Joshua and flop into the rocking chair to feed him. She would slowly drift off into a half sleep as the baby fed. After about twenty minutes of this, the boy would finally be satiated enough to fall back to sleep himself and she would gently lay him back down into the crib. Then she would wander back to the bedroom and fall into bed, only to be awakened a while later to repeat the same routine.

It was near dawn and she was getting back into the bed once again when she noticed that Severus was tossing and turning. She looked over at him and her exhaustion slipped away. He had curled into a ball and was shaking and moaning softly. After Lestrange's torture session, she wondered what horrors were invading his sleep. Lana reached over and shook Severus' shoulder.

"No! I won't let you hurt her!" he bellowed, still in the dream.

She moved her whole body closer to his and shook him violently.

"Severus, wake up!"

His eyes flew open and he screamed. Lana jumped. Finally able to focus in on her, Severus wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her chest. He shook violently.

"I can't distinguish reality from fiction. You were dead, but now you're here," Severus cried in agony.

"It was a dream, none of it was real. None of what Lestrange did to you was real, my love."

He held her tighter and continued to shudder in her embrace. "He…he killed you over and over again, Lana. Once wasn't enough, he had to find every sadistic way of killing you and put it into my mind."

Lana ran her fingers through his hair and massaged his head. "I'm sorry you had to live through all of that, love. I wish I could take it all away from you."

Severus stiffened in her arms. He composed himself and withdrew from her, lying on his back he stared at the ceiling.

"Don't, Severus. Don't withdraw from me now. I'm your wife and I want to help you."

"I'll be fine," he said stiffly.

Lana was hurt. It had been quite some time since he had shut her out like this. Her fatigue set in and a tear slipped down her cheek. She turned away from him so he wouldn't see her tears. She wondered if she had said something that had offended him.

Despite her turning away from him, Severus had caught the tear fall from her face. He grimaced inwardly. Why was he pushing his wife away from him? She was his one true comfort. Lana had only wanted to help.

The dream came flooding back to him. How many times had Lestrange made Lana die in front of him? Had it been ten, twenty times? Each one had been uniquely terrifying, ending with her falling and staring emptily ahead. In each vision her eyes seemed to yell at Severus that he had betrayed her. He began to shudder again, but composed himself quickly.

Trying to banish the horrid memories from his mind he concentrated on his reaction to Lana's offer of help. He didn't want her hurt anymore. But she hadn't been hurt in the first place. He huffed. He was being ridiculous and he was hurting his wife anyway by his actions.

Lana finally broke the silence. "You don't have to deal with this alone, Severus," she said bitterly. "I am here for you, whether you like it or not." She could say no more because her tears were coming harder now.

Strong arms surrounded her and pulled her close. Severus put his head next to hers as she continued to face away from him.

He whispered into her ear, "I know you are. I'm sorry I was short with you. I just don't want you hurt again, ever."

Lana turned around in his arms. She looked into his eyes, drowning in their depths. She would do anything for this man. He was her world.

"Let me help you, Severus. Teach me that _Legilimency_ technique so I can ease your memories."

Severus looked horrified. "No! No, you cannot, you must not. It would only hurt you Lana. I can't do that to you."

"You helped me when I was terrified from my memories. I can only offer the same to you. I will be fine."

"You know not of which you speak! How can you say you can watch yourself be killed over and over again and not be affected?"

Lana pondered that. "I didn't say I would not be affected, but I'm willing to have those memories inside of me to help you. If you hadn't done that for me in Albania, I would still be reeling from everything that happened with Voldemort. Severus, you have enough nightmares of the past, you don't need new ones of things that never even happened."

"I can deal with this on my own!" he shouted. He rose from the bed and stormed out of the room.

Lana was getting upset again. She fought for control. She did not want to start crying once more. She too got up and went out of the room to find Severus. He was standing by the fireplace, bent over with his arms crossed and resting on the mantle, his head down on his arms. Frustration came off of him in waves. Steeling herself, Lana walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I am your partner. You don't have to do this on your own for Merlin's sake!" Lana cried.

"I am not weak! I have overcome worse things. I can take care of this myself," Severus shot back.

Lana shot down the wave of anger that threatened to overtake her. She squeezed his shoulder. "Of course you're not weak. You are the strongest man I know. But why would you want to do this alone when I am here to help you?" she asked softly.

Severus' shoulders slumped. After a minute he picked his head up and looked at Lana. He was in agony.

"I can't do that to you Lana. It's not right, nor is it fair," he said softly.

His quiet answer only served to frustrate Lana more. Her control broke and she snapped back at him, "Listen to me, you stubborn man! I will not sit here night after night while you have nightmares that will eventually seep into your everyday life and turn you into an introspective zombie who jumps at anyone's touch! I can do something to help you and I intend to. If you won't tell me how to absorb your memories, I'll find someone who will."

With that, she wheeled around and stalked out of the room and into the hallway, slamming the door behind her. She fumed. Severus was so infuriating at times. She was perfectly willing to do this one thing for him, but he shunned her offer. He hated receiving help from anybody, including her.

* * *

Severus watched her storm out of their home. Why couldn't she understand that he didn't want her help? He didn't want her to suffer the same way he had. She too had been through enough to not need such evil memories coursing through her mind. She had almost died for Merlin's sake; twice. She needed rest too. 

Once again the memories of her dying over and over again came unbidden into the forefront of his memory, causing him to shudder violently. He grasped his hair with his hands and dragged his fingers over his head, as if trying to rip the memories from his brain with his hands. He couldn't let her see that, not ever.

Lana quickly made her way to the library. Of course it was closed, but teachers had access to the library anytime they wished. She approached the doors and looked up at them. Instantly two eyes and a mouth appeared at the top of the door on the right and began to speak.

"Password, please," said a high pitched male voice.

"Bookworm," said Lana and the door swung open for her.

She quickly entered the library and went to the section that would have books on _Legilimency. _She scanned the titles until she found one called _The Art of Legilimency and its Hidden Secrets. _She pulled it from the shelf, thinking that it should have some worthwhile information. Going over to a table, she settled herself in for a long study session. As she flipped through the pages, her weariness started to overcome her. She fought to keep her eyes open, but it was a losing battle. She kept turning the pages trying to keep herself awake. She finally came across a chapter entitled _The Easing of Memories._ This was what she was looking for. She directed her sleepy eyes to begin reading but found it hard to concentrate. She had only read a paragraph when her head sunk down onto the book and she was fast asleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, Severus was pacing in his living room. He needed to go after Lana, but he wanted to calm his nerves first. He wanted to be able to speak with her without being filled with rage. The rage, of course, was not directed at Lana, but at Lestrange for his brutal treatment and its possible long term effects on him. But Lana would have no way of knowing that and would assume, as she had earlier, that he was angry at her. He took some deep breaths and tried to calm his mind. He finally got himself to the point that he felt he could seek out Lana. 

He summoned his house elf.

"Winnie, I need to go out. Will you care for Joshua while I am away?" Severus asked her.

"Of course, Headmaster, sir. Winnie would be happy to help out."

He nodded to her and left to search for his wife. It didn't take him too long to find her. After checking her classroom and the Great Hall, he searched for her in the library. He found her at one of the tables there sleeping over a book. A small smile came over his face as he watched his beautiful wife sleeping. He approached her and looked at the book she was reading. His smile turned into a frown as he saw the title and the heading of the chapter she had opened to. It would be difficult to convince Lana to leave this alone.

He knelt down beside her and stroked her hair, muttering her name softly to wake her. Lana's eyes opened slowly and she looked over at Severus in a haze. It took her a minute to fully regain consciousness; she had been sleeping so soundly. Finally she raised her head and gave Severus a cross look. Before she had an opportunity to speak, Severus was already talking.

"Lana, I'm sorry for before. I'm a prideful man and don't like to appear weak to anyone."

Lana huffed in annoyance. "Give me a break, Severus. I was just trying to help. Besides, I have seen you in much weaker positions than you were in this morning."

Severus nodded an agreement. "You're right, but that coupled with my anger at Lestrange and the memories of the torture made me an unbearable prat. Will you forgive me?"

Lana studied him for a minute. She could see the sincerity in his eyes and knew he hadn't meant to hurt her feelings.

"Well, you are a prat all of the time, I don't know why I should expect anything less from you!" she snorted.

He grinned at her. She managed to grin back. Severus placed his hand over hers and rubbed it gently.

"Please, Lana, give up this idea of taking my memories. It makes me sick just to think of you reliving one of those deaths, let alone all of them."

Lana's face hardened. "Look Severus, I won't rest until I can help you get over this. This is the best way for me to help you. Stop being so stubborn and let me do this for you!"

Severus glanced over at the book she had been studying.

"I am supposed to protect you, not cause you pain," he said sorrowfully.

"We are supposed to help each other when we are hurt," Lana countered.

"It will only cause you suffering," he fought.

"It will help you to heal. I will be able to bear it."

"You need not do it, I will be fine," Severus pleaded.

"No, you won't. You already look weary and there's a pain in your eyes that wasn't there before."

"There's no talking you out of this, then?" Severus asked in resignation.

"My mind's made up," Lana told him.

Severus sighed. "Very well, but I want you to get some sleep now. I'll show you how to use your _Legilimency _later this afternoon and we can attempt to lessen my memories then."

Lana smiled at him and threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Severus. You know I only want to help."

"Meddlesome witch," Severus muttered as he hugged her ferociously.

* * *

_A/N: They're both so stubborn! Will Lana be able to truly help him? We'll find out next time. Thanks for reading and reviewing._


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

With Winnie and Severus to take care of the baby, Lana was able to get some well needed sleep. So it was a much more invigorated Lana who arose several hours later. She got out of bed and combed through her hair. She heard some murmurings in the living room and quietly went to the bedroom door to see who Severus was talking to. What she saw made her gape in amazement. Severus was sitting on the floor in front of the couch. Baby Joshua was lying on the couch in front of him and Severus was speaking to him in some foreign language. She watched his animated face as she finally recognized the language as 'baby speak'.

"A bah bah bah bah bah," said Severus and Lana was tempted to burst into giggles right there, but she didn't want to break the moment.

"A doo doo doo," he said again as the baby grasped his finger and looked at him with his mouth forming an 'o' shape.

"Oh yes, you want to talk to me don't you? Well, you can't quite yet. I know it's hard not being able to tell everyone what you want, but you'll grow up soon and be very good at talking. Yes, a bah bah bah. Just like that, a bah bah bah."

Lana couldn't believe what she was seeing. Here was Severus Snape, dour Headmaster of Hogwarts, former feared, snarky Potions Master and famed bat of the dungeons going all gaga over a little baby. She would have never imagined it could be possible, but here was the proof in front of her eyes. The man who went out of his way to scowl at students, whether they were doing wrong or not went all mushy at the sight of his tiny son. Lana smiled broadly as she continued to watch.

Severus leaned closer to the baby and little Joshua grabbed his nose.

"Yes, I know, quite the honker, huh? You at least were blessed with your mother's nose, thank heaven. Yes, you're a handsome guy, yes you are. Good thing you take after your mom and not me. It would be quite the cross to bear having to look like me for the rest of your life."

Lana frowned and was about to say something when Severus went on.

"Oh, your Mom thinks I'm good looking for some reason. Probably some spell gone wrong that has done something to her eyesight, but I can see in the mirror. I know I'm nothing to look at. A bah bah doo ga ga. What's the big boy doing, huh?"

The big boy was wiggling his legs and flailing his arms about. He was also squealing at his Dad.

Severus smiled. "Okay, okay, you win. I won't bring it up again. Leave it to you to take your Mother's side in this!"

Joshua's flailing brought his hand in contact with Severus' and his tiny fingers wrapped around Severus' much larger index finger again. Severus smiled down at him and continued his chatter.

"You're quite the miracle child, aren't you, son? I can only imagine what great things are in your future. What's that? Greatest Potions Master of all time? Powers stronger than Dumbledore's? Yes, I wouldn't doubt it."

Lana decided it was time to make her presence known and wandered over to the couch and sat down by Joshua's feet. Severus' face became bland and he looked quite nonchalant as he pretended to not have just been babbling to his son.

"Were you having a heart to heart with our little guy?" Lana asked him.

"I was just playing with him. He's pretty alert for such a tiny baby."

Lana's eyebrows went up and she looked at him with an expression that said she knew he had been up to much more than that.

"Just playing, really? So that's what all the babbling was about."

Severus' cheeks turned purple. He was so embarrassed that he just skipped over turning red and went straight to purple.

Lana leaned close to him and whispered in his ear. "Don't worry; your secret is safe with me. I thought it was cute."

She turned to Joshua and put her arms out and scooped him up. She held him in front of her and supported his head with a finger on each side, so he could focus on her without his head flopping to the side. Severus got up and sat next to her.

"How much did you hear?" he asked in a growl.

She smiled. "Oh, nothing really, just some babbling. Something about you having a big nose."

She smiled at the baby and cooed at him. She looked from Joshua to Severus and back again.

"So if you cut your hair short, would it be spiky like this?"

Severus arched an eyebrow at her. "No idea. It's been long like this ever since I was a young child."

Lana nodded. "Well, it's cute, all sticking up like that," she added.

Joshua opened his mouth at her and his little tongue lolled out of his mouth. Lana smiled at him and brought him close to kiss his forehead. She then cradled him in her arms so she could touch his face and arms.

"Mmm, he smells so good," she said.

"Yes, Winnie gave him a bath earlier."

Severus leaned forward and smelled Joshua's hair. The baby turned his head and latched onto Severus nose and began to suck ferociously, sending the couple into fits of laughter. After a little bit, Severus pulled away and scowled at Lana. Even though he looked harsh, she could see in his eyes that he was just playing with her.

"It's not funny," he said. "Even my own son has to make comments on my incredibly large nose."

Lana leaned over and kissed his nose. "I think your nose is perfect."

Severus looked down at Joshua. "See, I told you. It's some sort of bad eyesight spell."

Joshua squealed at him again. Severus looked at Lana.

"He does this every time I try to tell him you're blind," he told her hopelessly.

Lana giggled. Joshua squealed again, looking directly at Severus. Severus raised an eyebrow at his son, but said nothing.

"I guess he told you, Severus," Lana muttered, grinning all the while.

Suddenly the moment was broken by Joshua scrunching up his face and beginning to wail. Lana looked down at him in slight shock. He had just been fine a second ago, now he was almost screaming.

"When was the last time he was fed?" she sighed.

"It's been about two hours," Severus replied.

Lana lifted up the wailing baby and looked into his eyes. "Well, I guess you're hungry again, Joshua, huh?" He only screamed back at her.

"He's got your temper," she told Severus as she settled him in to eat and the crying suddenly stopped.

* * *

After the baby had his tummy full, Lana summoned Winnie and handed him over to her. She explained that she and Severus would be occupied with some magical study and that they weren't to be disturbed unless the baby needed their attention. The small house elf bobbed her head in understanding and whisked the little boy out of the room to give them some privacy.

Lana looked at Severus. "Okay, I'm ready to do it," she told him.

"Do what?" Severus asked blandly.

Lana looked at him in annoyance. "You know what! Let's get on with it and save you from those memories."

Severus heaved a great sigh and stood up.

"If you insist, my love."

Lana stood and situated herself across from Severus awaiting his instructions on how to absorb the memories.

"All right," Severus began, "This type of _Legilimency_ is a bit different from what you're used to. You start it just the same as you would the normal kind. Look into my eyes and establish the connection."

He saw her stare at him and felt her in his mind.

"Now, you have to close your eyes. You will still be able to search my memory with your eyes closed once the link is established. When you find the memories you want to ease, you must mentally pull them into your head. It will feel like the memories are ripping in two and then they will appear inside your mind. When you feel all of them in your mind, it is safe to break the link. Here, practice with this memory."

Severus brought a childhood memory to the forefront of his mind. It was a simple one of him riding a bike along the street where he grew up. Lana tried, but could not find the memory. She opened her eyes and looked at Severus for further instruction.

"What went wrong? I couldn't see anything," she told him.

Severus thought for a minute as to what he had felt. He looked to her and answered, "I think you are being too specific. You must first see the bulk of memories and then search within those that are present. Just take in the memories in my mind with your eyes closed, then search for the memory you want."

"But I'm not even sure what I'm looking for."

"It's a childhood memory of me riding a bike," he explained.

Lana nodded and tried again. Severus felt her enter his mind. Suddenly he felt a small shock go through his body and the memory diminished considerably. He looked over at Lana who was appearing to be very proud of herself. He smiled at her tentatively.

"It seems to have worked on my end; do you have the memory in your head?" he asked her.

She nodded. "You were such a cute kid."

Severus grimaced. "Let's try another one."

This memory was a painful one of his. It was right after Dumbledore's death. All of his strength had left him then and he was sobbing about what seemed to be the end of his own life. He had killed his friend and had driven a wedge between himself and Lana. At that time, he had thought they would never be able to overcome the horrible thing he had done.

He felt the memory diminish and looked embarrassedly at Lana. He hadn't wanted to show her that, but he wanted to gage her reception of painful memories. He was still unsure that he would let her proceed with the actual memory easement. This would help him decide.

Lana frowned at him, at a loss as to why he was embarrassed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked him.

"I never wanted you to know that had happened," he said, looking to the floor.

"Well, my love, it did happen, and I'm happy to help you not stew about it in the future. I had no idea how hard it had been for you after Dumbledore's death. I'm sorry."

"It all worked out, that's what's important," he said without conviction.

Lana crossed over to him and enveloped him in a hug. They stood there embracing for a few minutes.

"Consider this the comfort I couldn't give to you at the time," she said.

He scoffed. "Yes, you were truly wanting to give me comfort right then, I'm sure. I suppose I was lucky that you didn't hunt me down and kill me right off."

She looked up and grinned at him. "I'm ready to do the real memories now," she told him.

Severus frowned and pulled himself away from her. He placed his hands on her arms and looked into her eyes.

"Lana, you really don't have to do this. I am capable of dealing with this on my own."

Lana frowned too. "And I have told you, Severus, you don't have to deal with this on your own. I am here and willing to help you. Please let me."

"What you will see is frightening and evil. He left nothing to the imagination and he was very brutal. Since this is your first experience doing something like this, you may not be as prepared for such torture. You must prepare yourself for the intensity of these memories. Even if they are cut in half in strength, they may still be almost unbearable to you."

She nodded to him.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to let this be?" he asked again, knowing already what the answer would be.

"Just shut up and let me do this for you!" she retorted.

Well, maybe he didn't know exactly what the answer would be. He smiled at her and nodded his head for her to proceed. He felt her enter his mind again and he let her roam freely into it. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Finally she felt the pernicious group of memories and willed them to come into her mind. With a ripping sound she absorbed half of the strength of them, leaving her breathless for a moment.

She broke the link and the memories were now hers too. They raced through her mind and she stiffened with the horror of them. Crying out, Lana felt herself go weak at the knees. She slumped toward the floor and felt Severus' arms surrounding and supporting her. He pulled her close and she shuddered in his arms for a few minutes. The terror was excruciating, even at their diminished strength. Lana finally stopped shuddering, but kept her head on his chest for another few minutes before looking up at him. She looked sadly at Severus and raised a hand to caress his face.

"Oh Severus, if that had been you being killed, I don't think I would have been able to survive watching one of them, let alone all of them. No wonder you didn't know what was real or what was imaginary."

Severus seemed to be far away. The _Legilimency_ had worked and he felt as if the memories had happened long ago and he was able to deal with them. He looked gratefully at Lana. The relief in his face was all that she needed to know that it had worked and that she had done the right thing. Severus gathered her into his arms.

"Thank you," he said softly.

"I would do anything for you. You know that."

"Yes, but this went far beyond necessary and I am grateful. I feel…much better."

"I just want you whole again."

"Your efforts have succeeded. I can deal with the memories now, thanks to you." Severus pulled away from her and looked into her eyes. "I am not worthy of such a wonderful woman," he told her.

Lana smiled at him. "Glad to have been of service, love."

She could speak no more, for she found Severus' lips surrounding hers as he kissed her passionately.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks to brenda-wood-sheil for the baby advice! Yes, I know, if there's ever a contest to determine the OOC-iest Severus Snape I've gotten it won with this chapter. I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself. In my defense, I have seen some pretty tough characters turn into blabbering goo balls when confronted with a new baby, especially their own. Beileve me, it's quite the vision. Thanks for R&R and sticking with me._


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

Draco had been honored to be asked to act as Godfather. He had become very attached to Joshua in the four months since his birth. As for Argus Filch, he had been stunned to be asked to be an honorary Godfather. He accepted eagerly, a wide gap toothed grin on his face. He took his responsibilities quite seriously, spoiling the child as often as he could. And since he lived in the same place as the Snape family, he was sure to keep an eye out for little Joshua's well being as often as he could.

Christmas was less than a week away. There was a flurry of excitement throughout the castle as everyone prepared for the break. It was the last day of classes and Lana sat at her desk, watching the students busily chatter away, unable to concentrate on much of anything.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat. "You're supposed to be working alone on this translation. There should be no talking during this exercise!"

Twenty heads turned and buried themselves in their books once again. Lana laughed to herself. This was a second year class and they had not developed the self control that some of the older students had. Soon they were back to whispering amongst themselves again. She put on a stern face.

"Do you not think, Mr. Tobias, that I can't see your lips wagging away from where I sit?" she reprimanded the loudest offender. "Now finish your translation so you can get out of here and prepare for holiday!"

Jake Tobias turned bright red and buried his nose in his book. The other children did the same. These were the perils of teaching the last class before break. After another five minutes, the class was again talking. Lana gave up. She raised her wand and suddenly some Runes appeared on the board.

"Who can translate these for me?" Lana asked.

A couple of hands shot up. "Mr. Tobias, you may redeem yourself with the translation."

Jake read the Runes perfectly. "Merry Christmas, class is dismissed." A big grin spread over his face, as a few children darted for the door. "Thanks, Professor Snape!" he cried as he too gathered his things and burst out the door. She smiled as the class emptied out. A few students yelled a Merry Christmas to her as they escaped quickly before she could change her mind and resume class once again. Once the room was empty, she rose and took a small pile of books from her desk. Turning to the book shelves she commenced putting them away in their proper places.

"Professor Snape, a word please?"

Lana turned to see her husband in the doorway, leaning on the frame with his arms crossed. She smiled at him and placed the leftover books back on her desk.

Walking toward him she asked, "Headmaster, what can I do for you this afternoon?"

Severus looked at Lana sternly. "Shouldn't you be in the middle of class? I was sorely upset to see students fleeing from your classroom as if they had been set on fire."

"Oh, they were awful! They couldn't even concentrate for five minutes straight. I had no choice but to let them go."

"There's always a choice, Professor. I assure you when I taught; my students were never allowed to cavort in the hallways instead of being in class as they should be." Severus' eyes twinkled, the only sign that he was teasing her. Lana, however, missed the cue and became irritated.

"Look, it's the last class of the last day before break. If you're so keen on keeping them in class when they aren't concentrating on anything, then you can teach them." She stalked back to her desk and picked up the books again. "If I recall correctly, you cancelled all of your classes before Christmas the last year you taught."

He wandered up to her side and told her, "That was so I could spend time with you."

Lana smirked to herself despite her irritation. "Double standard," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Severus asked, taunting her.

She turned and growled at him, "I said that is a double standard."

He chuckled at her. "Put your claws away, woman, I'm just teasing you. It's the Headmaster's prerogative to bother his teachers."

Her mouth dropped open in indignation. "Why don't you go bug McGonagall then?" Then in exasperation she countered, "You're impossible, you know that?"

He stepped within inches of her and taunted some more, "What are you going to do about it?"

His provocative stance sent a shiver down her spine. She sized him up for a minute, preparing a good comeback, but none was forthcoming. Deciding to ignore him, she turned back to the bookshelf.

"Oh no you don't! You don't get off that easily," Severus challenged, chuckling to himself. He spun her around so she was looking at him. "So, what are you going to do about it?" He was smirking at her now.

"You're incorrigible!"

"Now I'm hurt." He frowned and looked miserable for her.

She couldn't help but laugh at his pathetic face.

"Now you're laughing at me, you evil woman!"

She laughed louder.

"Oh you'll be sorry for that!" he cried and his lips were on hers. She dropped the books in her hands and curled her arms around his neck.

"You know," she said in between kisses, "I'm really not sorry at all."

Severus pulled away from her and turned and strode out the door. She followed him with her eyes, a disappointed look on her face.

"Now you are," he teased as he left the room.

Lana huffed in exasperation and followed him chuckling to herself. "Prat!" she yelled after him.

Severus stopped and waited for her to catch up. He extended his hand to Lana and she took it. They walked hand in hand as she glared at him out of the corner of her eye. Severus only smirked. Finally, she could bear it no more and punched him on the shoulder with her free hand.

"What was that for?" he asked with wide innocent eyes.

"You know what it was for." She looked straight forward and continued walking.

Before Severus could come up with a retort, Knave apparated on Lana's shoulder. She smiled and extended her hand out so the bird could hop down and see the two of them better.

_I'm glad you aren't in class. Joshua has been crying and Winnie says he needs his Mommy._

"Can't that house elf learn that a little crying won't hurt the child?" demanded Severus.

Lana gave him a disapproving look. "Winnie has been marvelous with him. We're lucky to have her," she retorted.

Knave then piped in, _He's been crying for over an hour. She has tried everything. He just wants you._

Lana smiled, "Tell her we'll be there in a few minutes."

Knave nodded and disappeared. She smiled after him. Severus was frowning.

"Why couldn't he just have come and gotten me?" he asked.

"You know Joshua when he gets like this. He only wants me."

"He only ever wants you," Severus scowled.

"Are you jealous?" Lana asked incredulously.

"No, of course not," Severus snipped.

"You realize there will come a day when he no longer wants snuggles from me, but the attention of his father and no one else?"

"Until then I'll just remain a fifth wheel," Severus sighed.

"You do get carried away in self pity now and then, don't you?"

Severus glared at her.

"Come on, Severus, he adores you!"

"What he adores is sucking on my nose. He could do very well without me if I just separated my nose from my face and left it for him."

Lana stopped and turned toward him. "Stop that right now. You are his father and he loves you. You were the first one he smiled at, for Merlin's sake. Stop doubting yourself."

Severus paused a moment, considering her words, then took a step closer to Lana. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Thank you," he said.

"I didn't do anything," Lana snorted.

"You do everything, from loving me, to making sure that I don't overreact to everything."

She studied him carefully. "Well then, thank you too."

Severus arched an eyebrow at her. "For what?" he asked.

"You do the same for me." she replied. She hugged him furiously.

"Lana?" he said.

"Mmm?" she mumbled while still hugging him.

"I can't breath."

She loosened her grip and looked up at him, smiling.

"I love you, Severus," she replied.

"I love you too, Lana," he replied with mirth in his eyes.

He leaned down and kissed her softly, ignoring the sniggers of the students that passed by.

**The End **

_A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you liked the ending. I always have fun writing their teasing. Don't forget to leave a review before you bid this story adieu. (Yes, I'm a poet and didn't even realize it.)_


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